journal of research and innovation for sustainable society
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Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society (JRISS)
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2021
ISSN: 2668-0416
Thoth Publishing House
1
Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society
Scientific Board
President: Zaharia Marian, Professor, Honorary Member of ADER, Romania
Members: Alexandru Cătălin, “Transilvania“ University of Brașov, Romania
Andone Diana, Politechnic University of Timișoara, Romania
Andrei Jean-Vasile, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, Romania
Babis Claudiu, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Babucea Gabriela, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Bălăcescu Aniela, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Beridze Teimuraz, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Biriș Ștefan, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Boncea Amelia, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Buciumeanu Mihaela, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați Bujor Constantin, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Cananau Sorin, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Ciongaru Emilian, “Acad.Andrei Rădulescu“ Legal Research Institute of Romanian Academy
Chivu Oana Roxana, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Cîrțînă Daniela, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Cîrţînă Liviu Marius, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu-Jiu, Romania
Dasic Predrag, High Technical Mechanical School of Trstenik, Serbia
Dichovska Monika Angeloska, University of Sf. Kliment Ohridski Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia
Dulgheru Valeriu, Tehnical University of Moldova
Ecobici Nicolae, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Enăchescu Marius, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Ghimiși Ștefan, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Gogonea Rodica-Manuela, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Halil İbrahim Aydın, Batman University, Turkey
Mateș Ileana Mariana, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Michalik Zbigniew, Cracow University of Economics, Poland
Moroianu Emil, Honorary Member of ADER, Romania
Negoiță Olivia Doina, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Nen Madlena, Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, Romania
Nica-Badea Delia, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Okyar Mete Cüneyt, Şırnak University, Turkey
Orlov Maria, Institute of Administrative Sciences of Moldova
Petrescu Dacinia-Crina, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Petrescu Valentin Dan, “Lucian Blaga“ University of Sibiu, Romania
Petresvka Nechkoska Renata, Ghent University, Belgium
Rădulescu Alexandru, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Renken Folker, Jade University of Applied Science, Germany
Rîpă Minodora, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Romania
Samoilescu Gheorghe, Mircea cel Bătran Naval Academy, Constanta, Romania
Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society (JRISS)
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2021
ISSN: 2668-0416
Thoth Publishing House
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Săvescu Dan, “Transilvania“ University of Brașov, Romania
Semenescu Augustin, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Strukelj Tjasa, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Timmerberg Josef, Jade University Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Trocan Laura, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Velev Georgi Tsonev, Technical University of Gabrovo, Bulgaria
Ziolo Magdalena, University of Szczecin, Poland
Zlateva Penka, Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria
Yaroslav Vyklyuk, Bukovinian University, Ucraina
Yordanov Krastin, Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria
Editorial Board
Editor-in-chief:
Ghimiși Ștefan, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Members:
Bălăcescu Aniela, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Cîrţînă Daniela, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu-Jiu, Romania
Cîrţînă Liviu Marius, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu-Jiu, Romania
Ecobici Nicolae, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Facea Adrian, “Constantin Brancuşi” University of Targu Jiu, Romania
Zaharia Marian, Professor, Honorary Member of ADER, Romania
COPYRIGHT
All the rights are reserved for this publication, which is copyright according Romanian law of
copyright. Excepting only any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, review,
comment and criticism, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electrical, electronic, optical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior expressly permission of the copyright
owners.
Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society (JRISS)
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2021
ISSN: 2668-0416
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Table of Contents
Engineering Sciences
AIR QUALITY SENSORS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT STOPS AND CROSS-SYSTEM
COMMUNICATION
Dan-Marius Mustață ................................................................................................
5
COMPUTERIZED DYNAMIC FLUID SIMULATION (CFD) FOR MEASURING THE
INFLUENCE OF THE CAB DEFLECTOR ON THE AERODYNAMICS OF TRUCKS
Sergiu Lazăr ………………………………………………………..….........
11
CASE STUDY CONCERNING SUCCESSFUL ROMANIAN SMES DEVELOPMENT BY
STUDENTS EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING Irina Radulescu, Alexandru V Radulescu ...............................................................
18
A REVIEW OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES Cosmina Chiujdea, Sorin Cananau .........................................................................
25
Social Sciences
PACKAGING WASTE RECYCLING IN EUROPE. WHAT IS ROMANIA'S PLACE?
Marian Zaharia ………………………......................................................………..
33
ESTIMATING THE POTENTIAL FOR SELECTIVE COLLECTION OF BIOWASTE
IN ROMANIA AND THE CAPITALIZATION BY ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Lucia Varga, Ioana Ionel, Gheorghe Zaman, Emilia Dunca, Ramon Mihai
Balogh …………………………………………..…………………………….…..
44
THE INFLUENCE OF COVID-19 ON AIR QUALITY IN BRASOV
Larisa Blaga, Dan Savescu ....................................……….………………………
52
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THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE AGRO-ZOOTECHNICAL INDUSTRY Ancuta Ioana Hălmaciu, Ioana Ionel, Mihail Reinhold Wächter ............................
58
THE NEW EUROPEAN UNION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR ROMA
INTEGRATION 2020-2030: INSIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
NATIONAL STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKS
Andrei Ghimiși ........................................................................................................
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Air quality sensors in public transport stops and cross-system
communication
Dan-Marius Mustață1
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Politehnica University Timisoara, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The purpose of this article is to present a state of art implementation of air quality
sensors in public transport stops. Effects on health due to different types of pollutants are
summarized as well. Functional scope of the solutions, via warning messages displayed for
passengers waiting at these stops, including a cross system communication between traffic
management and public transport systems, are also focused. Analysis of existing sensor types
from multiple view point including functions, types of measured pollutants, price ranges and
comparisons are outlined.
Keywords: sensors, air quality, pollutants, health, traffic management, public transport
Introduction Nowadays, everyone is talking about pollution and the negative effects it has on organic lifeforms.
All countries are aware and try to find solutions for reduction of pollution by means of reducing
traffic congestions, or introduction of different types of new engines and ways to power a vehicle.
Unfortunately, these new improvement ideas are not planned for the near future, as definitely they need
a huge number of financial investments, not mentioning the need in mentality change of the people.
World Health Organization, based on a report from year 2019, presents that only 20% of the cities
world-wide are compliant with air quality standards.[1] Out of all pollutants, the most dangerous and
with the highest impact people’s health are the Particulate Matter (PM), due to its size, concentration and composition.[1]
Reduction of pollution must follow systemic ways for its implementation, one has to analyze an entire
city, area, region. This cannot be done on the fly, from one day to another. Still, as time goes by and
until these systemic solutions are implemented and effective solution must be found, offering to the
people to benefit of less pollution in congested traffic areas, on a daily basis.
Going to school, to work, to shop, or sightseeing as a tourist, one has to be exposed to health risks,
and waste time because of frequent transport malfunctions and associated generated pollution.
Of course, people with personal vehicles do not see this as a major impact, they do not directly feel the
pollution level, but still, they all blame the lack of organization and monitoring and the time lost. All
experienced waiting in public transport stops during rush hours was a challenge. Traffic congestion,
fumes and noises from the passing vehicles are disturbing the wellbeing of the people, not mentioning
the lack of information concerning the intensity of the traffic or the expectation time for the next
transport opportunity and its potential connections. Of course, pollution is not only associated with
traffic, but also due to household systems (especially during winter), local industry, lack of road cleaning
and maintenance, unprotected construction sites. In addition, one can mention that there is no clear rule
for assessing the transport vehicles, and there is a total incertitude about the number of free chair or
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.1:5-10
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existing space. Passengers with disabilities, or with luggage or children mostly have no chance to access
the public transport. And to top this off, during summer days imagine needing to worry about the
ambient temperature as well.
Given these actual situations which are felt by people ongoing to daily business or assuring personal
necessities, solutions must be found, which must directly shield them as much as possible from the
effects of pollution.
The approach that the author addresses is an informing and warning system by means of which the
passengers waiting in public transport stops are correctly and regularly informed directly if certain levels
of pollutants (gaseous, solid and noisy) are exceeding the normal ranges, information that would allow
them to decide if to stay or to try to move to an area by using different ways (bicycles, electric scooters,
etc.) or even walking, or reschedule or postpone the trip. Such system would certainly offer to the
passenger notable information about the risks in which he is exposed, the time loss and the impossibility
to respect the scheduled initial plan.
Of course, care has to be taken for elderly people, parents with children, groups.
For this, there exists the possibility not only to give a warning but also to give a signal to the urban
traffic management system to substitute more public transport vehicles to the respective area.
Traffic management systems already exists, passing currently a needed development and react, as a
self-driven responder system. The proposal and subject of this paper is focusing versus the sense that
the system can react to main live traffic situations and episodes. For example, in the stops interactive
maps could offer alternative route. Or more general the general traffic controller could have an action
upon the improvements of the live mode the traffic lights in order to try to reduce congestions.
The following sections will offer an introduction to these new ideas, covering as well the
potential systemic solving solutions to be introduced, which can be implemented by using existing
functions and control systems of an entire city and coupling them with some new multifunctional
devices.
1. Pollution effects on Human Health The negative impact upon the health of human beings, caused by non-proper urban air quality, was
recognized already by early and mid-twentieth century, due to a series of severe pollution impact cases.
Examples of such can be recognized in Meuse Valley (Belgium, 1930), Donora (USA, 1948) and
London (UK, 1952), which clearly lead to negative health effects ranging from headaches and vomiting
to even deaths. [2]
According to a series of analyzes of data performed upon these severe episodes, it is more than certain
that people with comorbidities related to cardiorespiratory diseases where at most risk, especially the
young and elderly. [2]
Many studies led to a conclusion that it exists clearly a relationship between air pollution and health,
during medium- or long-term exposure. On the one hand side, use of volunteers exposed to controlled
exposures and on the other, epidemiological studies of people admitted to hospitals. [2]
Based on a report from 2002 made by the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 2 percent
of mortality caused by cardiorespiratory diseases are due because of air pollution. Unfortunately, due to
living conditions and social-economic status developing countries are the most affected. [2]
Analysis of negative health effects has to be done by studies which take into account a multitude of
influence factors which are complex; one of the most challenging being factors due to long term
exposure to air pollutants. [2]
A series of major effects of different air pollutants on health are presented in the table 1. In this table,
one can recognize that all major pollutants are affecting in different ways human health, leading to
several diseases associated.
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Table 1 Major health effects of different major air pollutants [3] [7] [8]
Pollutant Effect
SO2 Impaired functions of airways and lungs
SPM (Suspended
Particulate Matter),
(including PM10
and PM2.5)
Resulted respiratory health problems. Premature death for people with heart
and lung diseases. Nonfatal heart attacks. Irregular heartbeat.
NO2 Increase of bronchial reactivity, lung damages which can be reversible or
irreversible and also effects on the spleen and liver.
CO Due to the CO being able to bind with hemoglobin, it reduces the oxygen
carrying capacity of blood. Affected are also the brain, heart and muscle. High
vulnerability for developing fetuses.
O3 Airways inflammation which reduces lung functions.
Pb Hemoglobin production, central nervous system and brain functions affected
2. State of art used cases for Air Quality sensors in public transport stops In the following section one presents an informal description of such proposed warning systems and the
information readout, which could communicate with the entire traffic management system and reduce
the potential health risk and waiting time intervals.
2.1. Pollution warning system for passengers:
As previously stated, this new application has two functions. The first and minimum is a warning system
in live mode shown to the passengers waiting in the public transport stops.
The system can work with existing public transport stops in which one installs principally an array
of sensors for detecting different kinds of pollutants.
A considerable range of sensors which are small, mobile and do not need a separate construction to
house them are already available on the market. They can directly be installed and coupled together in
the existing construction and design of the public transport stops.
So called low-cost sensors (LCS) are shown by the European Commission to offer sustainable
solutions, with highest benefit as being able to support an increased spatial coverage when monitoring
air quality within a city. [4]
Due to micro-sensor technology available commercially on a broader scale, purchase and use of these
LCS’s are targeted by both science initiatives and public authorities. [4]
The major target for public authorities is to increase the density within the area of the city of such
kind of monitoring. By using LCSs they do not need to rely only on pricey Air Quality Monitoring
Stations (AQMS). [4]
Additionally, LCSs can be operator without expert training and use of skilled operators for
maintenance and calibration of measuring devices compared to AQMS. [4].
Air quality sensors installed within a public
transport station
Display with
Air Quality
information
Figure 1 Air quality sensors and warning message displayed on screen
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As shown in figure 1, the system will require installation of such kind of LCS within existing public
transport stops. Specific LCS will monitor environmental quality within a specific range and will display
the information on a screen installed in the stops. Passengers will be able to read the data in real-time
and decide upon whether to stay and wait for the next public transportation vehicle or use alternate ways
of transport. Additional information related to traffic conditions can be shown by TMS.
2.2. Air Quality information readout, communication with traffic management system
Second function of this application is to communicate with the local or general traffic management
system (TMS), already available within the city. TMS receives from all traffic stops such information
and can consequently generate an informal map of the pollution level in the area, with the scope to be
able also to introduce alarms if necessary, or stopping the traffic- as main polluting source in the area,
or deviating it.
Thus, by creating a real time data base with information if upon air quality indices and by comparison
to specific limits, different scenarios could be applied. TMS will be able to react in real time and renew
the management or adapt it, thus one supposes that in a certain amount of time the entire section of road
in that area could be refreshed. By this, traffic congestions or passenger congestions (in the stops or in
the vehicles) could be reduced in real-time, resulting in a lower index of pollution in the vicinity of the
public transport stops, which will result in reduction of pollutant exposure risk for the passengers.
Even if the cities do not have a TMS in place which is directly controlling and
reacting to the flow of traffic, there would be a second functionality.
The system could provide information directly to the Public transport management system (PMPS)
allowing thus to react with sending supplementary vehicles directly to the affected area. Passengers will
be picked up by a substitute vehicle, sent from the public transport garage directly to the affected area.
This vehicle will not pass to each public transport stop like planned for the original vehicle and route,
but solve the created traffic jam. Nevertheless, continuous emission control has to follow for the public
transport vehicle fleet assuring by this also a safer environment. Preferably, vehicles should be electric
powered.
Entire communication logic between public transport stops and multiple systems, as proposed, is
presented as a flow chart in figure 2.
Figure 2 Cross-systems communication flow
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3. Analysis The following section focuses on existing types of LCS, which are already available and affordable on
the market as technology used within different applications. A short analysis of minimum required
sensor types to be implemented in a public transportation stop is also available.
LCS are of different types and are able to measure different pollutant levels and other parameters as
well.
3.1. Available LCS’s and technologies
Electrochemical sensors, which function based on a chemical reaction between the selected pollutant
gas in the air and an electrode placed in a liquid inside a sensor. These sensors types are used to
measure concentrations of main species such as NO2, SO2, O3, NO, CO. Medium cost of purchase
(between 50-100 €), good measurement resolution, in specific intervals from mg/m3 up to µg/m3. They
are also characterised by a fast response time (between 30-200s). One important downside is the high
sensitivity to variation in temperature and humidity of the ambient environment. [5]
Another solution is offered by metal oxide sensors, which are able to react on its surface by
modifying its resistance when gases in the air get in contact. They are used to measure NO2, O3, CO
concentrations. All are low cost (around 10-15 €/pcs), provide good measurement resolution, similar to
that for the electrochemical sensors, but also are affected by temperature and humidity changes. Major
disadvantage consists of a long response time (5-10 min) and a measurement instability which is
observable. [5]
Photo Ionization Detectors are measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC) by ionizing VOCs and
measuring the output electrical current. They present measurement resolution of mg/m3, effects due to
temperature and humidity changes are limited, very fast response time but they are not able to
differentiate between the VOC’s, which are ionized. [5]
Optical particle counters are used for the measurement of light scattered by Particulate Matter
(PM).They can be purchased at 300 €/pcs average price, offer fast response time and high measurement
resolution (1 µg/m3). The size of the particle is also available as readout (PM10, PM2.5, …). Disadvantage would be that the sensors compared particle counts to PM mass calculated from theoretical
models. [5]
Optical sensors which, by measuring the absorption of infrared light, are able to detect CO and CO2,
could be purchased in the free market from direct producers at prices ranging between 100 and 350€,
able to measure between 350-2000 ppm CO2. Again, temperature and humidity changes are affecting
the measurements. [5]
Programs have been established worldwide for informing the general public about the performance
of each low-cost sensor available on the market. Notable program is that developed by the AQ-SPEC
(Air Quality Sensor Performance Evaluation Centre) from the USA, which is looking to evaluate
performance both in field and under controlled laboratory conditions of LCSs. [6]
3.2. Minimum required types of LCSs for warning system in public transport stops
In the opinion of the author based on an analysis of LCS technologies and their advantages and
disadvantages, a feasible and minimum option of usage within a public transport stop warning system
would be a combination of two sensors, electrochemical plus the optical particle counters.
These two sensors combined will result in measuring a higher range of pollutant than stand-alone
LCS (NO2, SO2, O3, NO, CO + PM10, PM2.5). Price ranges will be around 450 € /combination, in total,
per public transportation stops which will result in a cheap implementation around the city, or at least
around the high traffic congestion areas. Still, a certain level of attention has to be paid for the major
disadvantage presented by electrochemical sensors, and corrections must be taken into account. If
temperature and humidity levels are prone to constant changes, the measured values might be corrupted.
Calibration must be performed on a specific frequency, calculated based on measurement uncertainty,
error and standard deviation.
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4. Conclusion Within this article one has presented a potential solution with two different functions (air quality level
warning message and cross-system communication between public transport stops, PTMS and TMS),
including the comparison of low-cost sensors from cost and effectiveness perspective, bringing a
sustainable and cheap implementation project, highlighting the possibility for smarter cities, especially
by providing this aforementioned cross-system communication in relation to pollution.
Effects of pollution are recognized and implementation of short-term, and to a certain extent, ideas
of such kind are necessary for trying to reduce as much as possible exposure to air pollutant in our daily
lives.
The author will focus on further research that will progress in the direction of creating a device that
is more complex and complete, which will be able to send real time data cross-systems for correcting
traffic conditions in the benefit of general population.
References [1] Teriús-Padrón J G, García-Betances R I, Liappas N, Cabrera-Umpiérrez M F, Arredondo
[2] Waldmeyer M T 2019 Design, Development and Initial Validation of a Wearable
Particulate Matter Monitoring Solution pp 1, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32785-
9_17 (accessed on 10 Feb. 2021)
[3] Metcalfe S, Derwent D 2005 Atmospheric Pollution and Environmental Change pp 84-85, ISBN-
10: 0 340 71959 1, ISBN-13: 978 0 340 71959 6
[4] WHO2000 Guidelines for Air Quality. WHO, Geneva pp 32-46,
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/66537/WHO_SDE_OEH_00.02-
eng.pdf?sequence=18&isAllowed=y, accessed on 10th Feb. 2021
[5] Karagulian F, Gerboles M, Barbiere M, Kotsev A, Lagler F, Borowiak A 2019 Review of sensors
for air quality monitoring pp 2 ISBN 978-92-76-09255-1 ISSN 1831-9424
doi:10.2760/568261,https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC116534
/kjna29826enn.pdf, accessed on 10th Feb. 2021
[6] Measuring air pollution with low-cost sensors, Thoughts on the quality of data measured by
sensors pp 2-3, https://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/pdf/Brochure%20lower-
cost%20sensors.pdf, accessed on 6th Feb. 2021
[7] http://www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec/home, accessed on 10th Feb. 2021
[8] https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm,
accessed on 10th Feb. 2021
[9] https://www.epa.gov/co-pollution/basic-information-about-carbon-monoxide-co-outdoor-air-
pollution#Effects, accessed on 10th Feb. 2021
Acknowledgments I would like to express my deep gratitude to Prof. dr. ing. habil Ioana Ionel (Politehnica University
Timisoara) for her valuable and constructive suggestions during the planning and development of this
article. Her willingness to offer her time and knowledge for guiding me so generously is very much
appreciated. I also acknowledge the teacher staff for the ongoing master studies at the mentioned
university, especially to senior lecturer dr. ing. Attila Gönczi (Politehnica University Timisoara)
Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society (JRISS)
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Computerized dynamic fluid simulation (CFD) for measuring
the influence of the cab deflector on the aerodynamics of
trucks
Sergiu Lazăr1
1Faculty of Engineering, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. This paper refers to how the cab deflector of trucks can influence the aerodynamic
coefficient. The first part of the paper includes some generalities taken from previous studies,
regarding the types of solutions to improve aerodynamics for trucks. The second part of the paper
is a more practical one and has two main chapters: modeling and simulation of modeled parts.
In this sense, a truck and 3 cabin deflectors were schematically modeled in Catia v5. After
assembly in the Catia v5 program, the impact of the cabin deflector was analyzed. Thus, a
computerized dynamic fluid simulation (CFD) was performed using the specific module in
Ansys. The simulation included the CFD analysis of the four possible variants: truck without
deflector, truck + deflector 1, truck + deflector 2, truck + deflector 3. All mentioned variants
were analyzed at 3 different speeds: 50 km / h, 70 km / h and 90 km /. This analysis revealed
information on the efficiency of each deflector, the value of the pressure as well as the most
affected areas, the value of the turbulent kinetic energy, the value of the drag force and the
aerodynamic coefficient.
Keywords: CFD Analysis, cab deflector, aerodynamics improvement.
Introduction There are currently many solutions proposed to improve the aerodynamics of vehicles. The decrease in
the aerodynamic coefficient is strictly related to two other relevant aspects: the reduction of fuel
consumption and the reduction of the negative impact on the environment. For trucks, aerodynamic
elements can be introduced for both the cab and the trailer. The most effective solutions are considered
by some researchers in the field as the installation of the cab or trailer deflector.
With budgets tight, gas prices on the rise, and fuel economy on everyone’s mind, it is now more
imperative than ever to invest in new energy-saving technologies among all products and services,
including more energy efficient vehicles. In the automotive industry, trucks are known for their relatively
higher drag coefficients which suggest that there is room for improvement. [1]
Previous studies show that the efficiency of the cabin deflectors is between 11 and 20%. [1] [2]
Aerodynamic Drag Calculation
Drag is the force of wind or air resistance pushing in the opposite direction to the motion of the object.
The drag coefficient (Cx) is useful when comparing the aerodynamic efficiency between different
vehicles [5]. It is related to the aerodynamic drag force (Ra), vehicle speed (vx), frontal area (A) and the
density (ρ) and is defined by:
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.2:11-17
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𝑹𝒂 = 𝟏𝟐 ⋅ ρ ⋅ 𝑪𝒙 ⋅ 𝒗𝒙𝟐 ⋅ Α (1)
The drag force depends on the four parameters:
air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3;
drag coefficient, Cx;
vehicle speed, vx;
frontal area, Α.
Air-resistant power on the frontal area:
𝑷𝒂 [W] = 𝑹𝒂 [N] ⋅ v [m / ѕ] (2)
Basically, the air resistance has three directions on which it can act on the car: longitudinal (x), lateral
(y) and vertical axis (z). The component with significant effect is on the longitudinal axis (x) in the
direction of travel of the vehicle.
Each axis corresponds to an aerodynamic coefficient (Cx, Cy and Cz). As the car moves in the
direction of the longitudinal axis, the air resistance coefficient for this axis will be denoted by Cx, x
being the longitudinal axis.
From the expression of the resistance force of the air, it appears that there are 3 parameters: the
aerodynamic coefficient (Cx), the area of the maximum transverse velocity (Α) The first two parameters (Cx and Α) are consistent and depend on the shape of the body.
The ideal shape from an aerodynamic point of view is like a drop of water. The Cx of this shape is
only 0.04. The more a car owns this shape, the lower the drag force.
Figure 1. The ideal aerodynamic shape [3]
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Mechanical design and CFD analysis
The three-dimensional modeling of the elements was done through the Catia v5 design program - the
academic version. The mechanical design was made by means of Pad and Pocket operations, of the
previously made sketches. The following were designed in turn: the cab (without details inside), the
trailer, the running system, the chassis and the auxiliary elements. Then, we proceeded to design 3 cabin
deflectors with different geometries.
The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique is utilized to the analysis of air flow around this
device and also to optimize the geometry of device that has important effect on drag reduction. [4] I
performed the CFD analysis through the Ansys program.
3D Modelling of truck
Figure 2. The designed truck to be analysed
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3D Modelling of cab deflectors
Figure 3. The designed deflectors to be analysed
CFD analysis
Without cab deflector
Table 1. Velocity, pressure and turbulent kinetic energy for truck without cab deflector
Speed
Analysis
50 km/h 70 km/h 90 km/h
Turbulent
kinetic
energy
Pressure
Speed
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With the 1st deflector – only results
Figure 4. Velocity analysis for the first deflector
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Figure 5. Analysis result for the first deflector
With the 2nd deflector – only results
Figure 6. Velocity analysis for the second deflector
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Figure 7. Analysis result for the second deflector
With the 3rd deflector – only results
Figure 7. Analysis result for the third deflector
Conclusions
In this paper a practical study was performed which wanted to demonstrate the impact of a deflector
geometry on the aerodynamics of a transport vehicle. In this sense, 3 cabin deflectors with simpler or
more complex geometries have been designed that have or have not fulfilled their proposed purpose. Of
all the geometries presented, the most efficient cabin deflector is the first one deflector.
I consider this deflector to be the most eficient due to the results obtained and presented. Even if the
schematic model truck has a high coefficient of over 1.04, this cab deflector manages to reduce by up
to 30% the effort made for forwarding. The air is guided without turbidity to the desired areas of the
assembly. Thus the turbidity factor which increase the drag force is reduced to the lowest values.
However, even in this case the aerodynamic coefficient can be improved by changing the first curve in
the deflector section of the convex which increases the drag force into the concave one which would
decrease the air turbidity and guide the air flows more smoothly. In conclusion, from the presented data
can be extracted the premises of future research to optimize the solutions proposed in this paper.
References
[1] Abdellah Ait M., Justin F. and Rohan Y., "Aerodynamic Drag Reduction for a Generic Truck
Using Geometrically Optimized Rear Cabin Bumps," Hindawi Publishing Corporation,
Journal of Engineering, p. 14, 2015.
[2] Hariram A., Koch T., Mårdberg B.and Kyncl J. A., "A Study in Options to Improve Aerodynamic
Profile of Heavy-Duty Vehicles in Europe," MDPI: Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 19, p. 23,
2019.
[3] MobilitateEu, "Designul aerodinamic al avioanelor și al trenurilor," [Online]. Available:
https://mobilitate.eu/designul-aerodinamic-avioanelor-trenurilor/. [Accessed 19 11 2020].
[4] Namazian Z., "Optimization of Geometry of a New Device to Reduce Aerodynamic Drag on a
Heavy Vehicle," International Journal of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering, 2016.
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Case study concerning successful Romanian SMEs
development by students education and entrepreneurial
training
Irina Radulescu1 and Alexandru V Radulescu1
1University POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The European Commission has published in 2020 the SMEs Strategy for a Sustainable
and Digital Europe that aims to increase the number of SMEs engaged in sustainable business
practices, as well as the SMEs number that use digital technologies. Important opportunities for
SMEs can be provided by digitization, to improve the production processes efficiency and the
ability to innovate products and business models, by using advanced disruptive technologies.
Good management is needed for a successful SME, education and entrepreneurship training
have the role of consolidating business knowledge and skills. Educational activities and skills
upgrading are essential for all SMEs managers and employees. Romania is on the last place in
EU, regarding SMEs number and it ranks 11th place out of 28, in terms of connectivity.
Regarding the digital maturity of Romanian SMEs, the White Papers on Romanian SMEs
presents their main working elements: computer, e-mail applications, internet, intranet, social
networks, the company's own website, online sales / purchases transactions. The objectives of
the Bachelor's degree specialization of Economic Engineering in Mechanical field and Industrial
Entrepreneurship Master are students training and education, in order to be able to sustain
digitization and sustainable technologies. The university curriculum and the educational
disciplines offered by the Economic Engineering in Mechanical field specialization and
Industrial Entrepreneurship Master is connected to the society requirements and must follow the
economic trend, by educating, training and getting good specialists.
Keywords: SMEs development, education, entrepreneurship
1. The international situation. European Union policy regarding SME strategy for sustainable
and digital Europe The SMEs key role is to create added value for each economic sector and it is marked by the 25 million
SMEs of Europe, which represent the "spinal column of the European Union economy", providing jobs
for approximately 100 million people and contributing for more than half of Europe's GDP. They play
a key role being deeply integrated into the Europe economic and social structure, by creating training
opportunities in all regions and sectors and supporting the well-being of society, by providing two out
of three jobs.
The European Commission has published the SMEs Strategy for a Sustainable and Digital Europe,
which proposes actions based on the following pillars:
- Capacity consolidation and supporting the transition to sustainability and digitalisation;
- Reducing the regulatory task and improving market access;
- Improving access to finance.
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.3:18-24
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The strategy aims to increase the number of SMEs engaged in sustainable business practices, as well
as the SMEs number that use digital technologies. The ultimate goal is to transform Europe to become
"the most attractive place for small or medium-sized enterprise foundation, in order to make it grow and
help it to expand on the market" [1].
"Competitive sustainability represents the Europe's guiding principle for the future. Achieving a
flexible, resource-efficient and climate-neutral digital economy requires the full mobilization of SMEs.
Considering an economic, ecological and social point of view, the transition toward a sustainable Europe
follows the transition to digitalisation ”[1]. According to statistics, in Europe there are many well-equipped, high-tech, innovative SMEs
committed to respecting sustainability and circular economy values. Almost a quarter of European
SMEs offers green products or services, but only 17% of SMEs business have successfully integrated
digital technologies, compared to 54% of large enterprises.
Important opportunities for SMEs can be provided by digitization, to improve the production
processes efficiency and the ability to innovate products and business models, by using advanced
disruptive technologies: blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technology and
high performance computing (HPC), [1].
Good management is needed for a successful SME, education and entrepreneurship training have the
role of consolidating business knowledge and skills. Educational activities and skills upgrading are
essential for all SMEs managers and employees, with a particular focus on empowering women to set
up SMEs and on improving the gender balance among business managers, [ 2].
Considering the digital Europe program, the Commission will develop intensive courses in the digital
field to enable SME employees to acquire advanced skills in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity
or blockchain technology, based on the experience gained within the Coalition for Skills and Jobs in the
digital sector platform. The Commission will launch a "digital volunteers" program to enable qualified
young people and experienced older people to share their digital skills with traditional businesses. Same
time, the Commission will support and interconnect SME intermediaries, such as clusters, to help SME
staff to update their skills in sustainability field. The Commission will update the Europe Skills Agenda,
including a Pact for Skills with a specific SMEs component, and it will propose a Council
Recommendation to modernizing vocational education and training, [3].
"Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" initiative gives young people the chance to work together with
an experienced entrepreneur from another European Union country, in order to help set up their own
business or develop an existing one. The basic idea is that the young person, as an EU citizen, has the
right to start a business in any country of the Union or to set up in another Member State a subsidiary of
a company already established in the EU. The requirements differ from country to country, so it is
important to know the procedures to be followed, [4].
2. The national situation regarding Romanian entrepreneurship compared to European Union
Regarding SMEs Romania's situation related to the country's population, this indicator increased after
Start-Up Nation, the SMEs financing program introduced by the state ; however, Romania remained on
the last place in the European Union.
In 2018 Romania had 29 micro and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) per 1,000 inhabitants,
well below the European average, which was 58 SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants, remaining on the last place
in EU. Only 10% of Romanian SMEs had innovation activity, being also on the last place in EU.
The 2019 European Report shows that a former communist country, the Czech Republic, has the
most SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants (115), but developed EU countries, such as the United Kingdom and
Germany, do not have many SMEs per thousand inhabitants. There are 7 EU countries with less than 50
SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants: Austria, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Croatia, Romania and the United
Kingdom. Romania is on the last place in EU, regarding SMEs number, the next ranked being Germany
(35 SMEs per 1000 inhabitants), Great Britain (38 SMEs per 1000 inhabitants). Analysing the
development, average wages or GDP per capita, the Central and Eastern European region countries,
which Romania is compared to, are better placed.
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In 2018 Romania had 485,757 SMEs in the non-financial sector, representing 99.7% of all country
companies; 88.4% of them were micro-enterprises, 5.9% of them were small companies and 1.8% of
them were medium-sized companies. In 2019 Romanian SMEs generated 52.7% of total added value of
the non-financial business sector. Also, SMEs had 65.8% of the total employees in the Romanian non-
financial business sector. The average productivity of Romanian SMEs was about 15,100 euros, being
calculated as added value for each employee, which is significantly lower than the EU average (about
44,600 euros). Romanian SMEs employed an average of 5.5 people, exceeding the EU average of 3.9.
The European Commission Report shows the Romanian Government efforts to finance new
companies establishment, as Start-Up Nation program, but also it suggested to take action to reduce
bureaucracy to help entrepreneurs, [5].
An useful tool is the SME INVEST ROMANIA program, the government's response to the health
and economic crisis, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its objective is to support the
entrepreneurial environment, facilitating access to SMEs finance, to ensure the necessary liquidity to
continue economic activity, by accessing one or more investments and working capital credits,
guaranteed by FNGCIMM (National Credit Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises), [6].
Before COVID crisis, 2019 showed a business environment problem identified by companies: staff hiring,
training and maintaining. The President of the Romanian SMEs National Council shows that in 2019 the
labor crisis has deepened, the survey of 788 SMEs informed that 57% of them noted that hiring, training and
maintaining employment represents a difficulty; in 2018 the percentage was 46. The perception of
bureaucracy as a problem remained at the same threshold, respectively 48%. In 2018, inflation ranked fifth
in the top of the SMEs problems, but in 2019 it rose to third place (47%), after unfair competition.
Ovidiu Nicolescu, Honorary President of CNIPMMR (National Council of Romanian Small and
Medium Private Enterprises) said that half of the Romanian SMEs have problems, although they provide
half of the Romanian gross domestic product (GDP) and they largely contribute to exports. He stated
that: "14.28% have increased their activity in the last two years (that represents 1 of 7 SMEs) and a third
part (35.48%) operates at the same parameters. All of these shows that half of the SMEs give stability,
but, at the same time, half of the SMEs have problems, 11% of SMEs are in bankruptcy situation and
almost 40% have reduced their activities. "This is a very high percentage. This is the picture of the last
two years that we have to keep in mind when we foreshadow measures."
According to Act Factsheet 2019 for Romania, the European Commission Small Business Report,
SMEs represent 99.7% of companies in the economy and 66% of employees. It is essential to guide,
support and coordinate these companies digitization. The national programs as Start-Up Nation, POR Axis
2 regional programs had a digitization component, being a founding source for SME digitization projects.
The 2020 Economy and Digital Society Index Report (DESI) shows that Romania ranks 11th place
out of 28, in terms of connectivity, it emphasizes the great need for digitalization of Romanian SMEs.
Regarding the digital maturity of Romanian SMEs, the White Papers on Romanian SMEs shows that
the main elements used by Romanian SMEs are the computer, e-mail applications, internet, intranet,
social networks, the company's own website, online sales / purchases transactions.
By developing the " SMEs capacity strengthening to adapt to the 4.0 Industrial Revolution" project,
the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Intermediate Body launched "The Report on public policies on SMEs
digitization, that have been identified to be improved and good local practice examples." This report
was built following main steps [7]:
- Global, regional and national context on the SMEs digitalisation,
- The need to develop digital skills,
- Digital maturity of Romanian SMEs,
- Public policies analysis on SMEs digitizing,
- Good practices on public policies that support the SMEs digitization,
- Other public policies for SMEs digitization, to be developed or improved.
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3. Adapting the education system to the society requirements by students’ activity analysis This chapter presents students activities and makes connection between education system and the society
requirements, by analyzing Bachelor's Degree projects of the Economic Engineering in the Mechanical
Field Specialization - and Master's Degree projects at the Industrial Entrepreneurship.
Digital education is one of the 4 strategic axes of the current government program, together with
digital administration, digital economy and digital society ; the ultimate goal is to achieve an
"accelerated digitization" process, to contribute to the economy, public administration and society
profound transformations, to increase public sector performance and efficiency.
To have competitive SMEs on the market, rapid digitization is necessary and the digital education is
a must, by including a cross-cutting level of technology in all educational processes, but especially by
implementing acquisition policies / increasing / improvement of digital competences, from the school
level to the entire Romanian society level, [8].
An education and training system adapted to the technological evolution adapted is required to
prepare and improve human resources, being essential for the society development.
The digital technology use can develop all levels skills by a lifelong education, also being developed
a more attractive school to students, more adapted to their needs and lifestyle. Romanian digital
transformation in education is determined by advances in connectivity, by the widespread use of devices
and digital applications, according to individual flexibility and the digital skills demand.
The "Covid-19" crisis has emphasized these transformations demand, considering the online
environment interaction, by outlining a teaching and learning system connected to digital technology. It
also highlighted "the role of digital education as a key objective for high quality, accessible and inclusive
teaching-learning-assessment, also the requirement for a strategic approach regarding the digital skills
acquisition throughout life, for all actors".
Currently, the integrated approach of all public services digitalization aspects, including education
field, is ensured by the Romania 2020 National Strategy for the Digital Agenda provisions.
Romania Internet connectivity has a wide coverage, but still "steps are needed to ensure all resources
and an integrated framework for access to quality education in the digital age." Future actions aim a
closer cooperation with all stakeholders to generate a Modern, Accessible School, based on Digital
Resources and Technologies - "SMART-Edu" ; They start from the following priorities:
1. Accessibility - providing digital infrastructure and emerging technologies for access to inclusive
and quality education;
2. Connectivity - digital skills developing for a digital transition to a competitive society, focused
on sustainable development, social equity and resilience; digital literacy and misinformation
fighting; use of open educational resources;
3. Community - stakeholder consultation and involvement;
4. Digital educational ecosystem - creating a high performance digital educational environment
respecting digital ethics, personal data protection, cyber security, data analysis, etc;
5. Innovation - use of all digital resources and technologies, creativity and entrepreneurship
stimulation;
6. Sustainability - medium and long-term predictability provision by inter-sectoral cooperation, for
quality education and a green and digital economy [9].
The directions of action have as main subjects - children and young people - and they are based on
the following principles respecting: equal access, equity, inclusion, learning personalization and digital
skills acquisition, sustainable development, quality, resilience, green economy, [9].
The 4 years Bachelor's degree education in Economic Engineering in the Mechanical Field offer for
students to achieve digital skills, being able to develop projects ; their data are collected, analyzed and
statistically processed by using specialized software, in respect of digital ethics and personal data
protection (Fig. 1).
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Figure 1. Digital skills projects – Bachelor’s degree education in Economic Engineering in the Mechanical Field
The Bachelor studies projects have the subjects in technical-economic analysis domain, in different
fields of interest, such as: environmental protection, theoretical and experimental studies to improve
computational performance, projects and technical-economic analysis on mechanical devices and
equipment and technological processes. Some examples of these themes are: Plastic coaxial reducer for
terrestrial drones, Thermal-economic analysis of passive house systems, Technical-economic analysis
of electric and hybrid vehicles braking systems, Technical-economic analysis of equipment used in
commercial mountaineering, Theoretical and experimental study on improving computing performance
of a personal computer, Analysis and optimization in an IT Support department of a telecommunications
company, by using the ARENA software, Resources management in the manufacturing process of
medical masks, (Fig. 2).
Figure 2. Bachelor’s degree projects –Economic Engineering in the Mechanical Field
7%
33%
23%
20%
17%
Digital skills projects - Bachelor's degree education in Economic
Engineering in the Mechanical Field
Projects / technical-economic analyzes /
statistical analyzes
Projects / technical-economic projects
and ARENA simulation software
analyzes
Projects / technical-economic analyzes/
3D SOLID WORKS projects
Projects / technical-economic analyzes/
3D CATIA projects
Projects / technical-economic analyzes/
3D AutoDesk Inventor projects
33%
17%
50%
Theme Projects- Bachelor's degree education in Economic Engineering
in the Mechanical Field
Projects / technical-economic analysis in
the field of environmental protection
Projects / Theoretical and experimental
studies to improve computational
performance
Projects / technical-economic analysis of
mechanical devices and equipment
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Industrial Entrepreneurship Master's degree gives a students offer to continue to develop digital
skills and analytical thinking, by presenting projects based on eco-design, green economy and
sustainable development and using statistical analysis, developing questionnaires and using
mathematical modeling and simulation. The figure below shows the Industrial Entrepreneurship Master
favorite fields for the range of projects focused on green economy: photovoltaic panels, ecological
materials, electrical and electronic waste recovery, ecological agriculture, plastic recycling (Fig. 3).
Figure 3. Green economy projects for Industrial Entrepreneurship Master
Industrial Entrepreneurship master's students complete their dissertation most often with business
plans in different fields: industrial area, industrial processes quality management, agriculture, tourism,
insurance companies, services and consumer goods, telecommunications companies, medical optics,
construction, culture and sport, (Fig. 4).
Figure 4. Dissertation projects themes in Industrial Entrepreneurship Master
7%
10%
13%
10%
17%
10%
7%
13%
7%
3%3%
Green economy projects - Industrial Entrepreneurship Master degree
Photovoltaic panel projects
Ecological materials projects
Electrical and electronic waste Recovery
ProjectsOrganic farming projects (smart
agriculture)Plastic, rubber recycling projects
Projects of companies that protect the
environment (electricity)Ecological Cities Projects
Recyclable packaging projects
Wind energy projects
Housing Eco-design Projects
Biodegradable textile projects
42%
6%5%
11%
5%
11%
5%
5%
5%5%
Dissertation projects of master's students in Industrial Entrepreneurship
Business plans for industrial companies /
quality management in industrial processesBusiness plans for the development of
companies in the sports fieldBusiness plans for agricultural companies
Business plans for tourism companies
Business plans for tourism companies
Business plans for companies in the field of
services and consumer goodsBusiness plans for companies in the field of
telecommunicationsBusiness plans for companies in the field of
cultureBusiness plans for companies in the field of
medical opticsBusiness plans for construction companies
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4. Conclusions Opportunities to improve the Romanian SMEs production processes efficiency and their innovation
capacity are based on managers strategic thinking education, on their good digitalization training
towards eco-sustainable business models.
A successful SME requires good management, so the emphasis is on entrepreneurship education
that consolidates and improves business knowledge and skills. The education system is adapted to the
requirements of today's society, being achieved by personalization of learning, acquiring and developing
of digital skills, education on sustainable development, quality, promoting the green economy.
Main elements SMEs employees are using today are: computer, mail applications, internet, intranet,
social networks, company website, online sales / purchases transactions, that are based on very good
connectivity and high internet speed. Experience and digital maturity of users only need the
entrepreneurial environment support and a well-trained workforce provision in companies.
The objectives of the Bachelor's degree specialization of Economic Engineering in Mechanical field
and Industrial Entrepreneurship Master are represented by the students training and education according
to previous directions, their researches during the 4 study years and the bachelor's and dissertation
projects being a relevant example.
During the 4 years of the bachelor's degree the students specialized in Economic Engineering in
Mechanical field focuse on technic researches related to practical and economic aspects.
Industrial Entrepreneurship Master offers the opportunity to do an in-depth analysis of their
researches related to business plan developing.
The university curriculum and the educational disciplines offered by the Economic Engineering in
Mechanical field specialization and Industrial Entrepreneurship Master is connected to the society
requirements and must follow the economic trend, by educating, training and getting good specialists.
References
[1] European Commission Brussels, 10.3.2020 COM (2020) 103 final, Communication of the
Commission to the European Parliament, The Council, The European Economic and Social
Committee and The Regions Committee. An SME strategy for a sustainable and digital
Europe.
[2] COM (2020) 152 final, Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, 4.3.2020.
[3] European Commission Brussels, The 2018 report of the Working Group on Digital Innovation
Centers, https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/system/files/ged/dihs_access_to_finance_report_final.pdf
[4] https://europa.eu/youth/go-abroad/working/erasmus-young-entrepreneurs_ro
[5] https://www.startupcafe.ro/finantari/startup-nation-imm-romania-raport-2019.htm
[6] https://www.fngcimm.ro/imm-invest
[7] https://www.oirbi.ro/category/strengthening-sme-capacity-to-engage-in-industry-4-0/
[8] https://insse.ro/cms/ro/
[9] https://www.smart.edu.ro/
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A Review of Additive Manufacturing Technologies
Cosmina Chiujdea1, Sorin Cananau1
1 Doctoral School of Industrial Engineering and Robotics Faculty, University Politehnica of
Bucharest, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. Over time, companies have prioritized the management of money, materials,
equipment and people. Today, in such a globalized environment, they have come to recognize
the paramount importance of quality, price, fast product delivery, flexibility and a continuous
process of innovation. This is where additive manufacturing comes into play as one of the newest
and most promising improvement solution for the above mentioned components of the industry.
This paper will provide an understanding of the additive manufacturing technologies, analize
them in comparison to the traditional machining techniques, emphasizing their application fields
and their limitations and will present the various types of said technologies. There is still a lot of
work and research to be done until additive manufacturing technologies overtake the
manufacturing world but the continuous growth and successful results that have been seen since
the beggining show the great undeniable potential that these technologies have.
Keywords: additive manufacturing, computer-aided design, three-dimentional model..
1. Introduction Additive manufacturing (AM), technologies which are fundamentally different from traditional
substractive manufacturing techniques, in the sense that they use another principle for the
materialization of a part, are technologies that allow the part to be created by adding material, as much
as necessary and where is necessary. With these new technologies a physical product, a prototype or a
final part is made, layer by layer, starting from a 3D model.
In comparison with subtractive manufacturing processes, in which one starts with a block of material
and removes any unwanted material until the desired part is left, additive manufacturing starts with
nothing and builds the part one layer at a time by adding each new layer on top of the previous one, until
the part is complete.[1] Each layer is a thin cross-section of the part derived from the original CAD data
(figure 1). Every layer must have a finite thickness to it and so the thinner each layer is, the closer the
final part will be to the original. All commercialized AM machines to date use a layer-based approach
and the major ways that they differ are in the materials that can be used, how the layers are created, and
how the layers are bonded to each other. Such differences will determine factors like the accuracy of the
final part plus its material properties and mechanical properties. They will also determine factors like
how quickly the part can be made, how much post-processing is required, the size of the AM machine
used, and the overall cost of the machine and process.[2]
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Figure 1. Slicing of a part into layers.
1.1. The additive manufacturing process chain
AM involves a number of steps that move from the virtual CAD model to the physical resultant part.
The additive manufacturing process chain is shown in figure 2.
Figure 2. The additive manufacturing process chain.
The first step in the additive manufacturing process is always the creation of the digital model. There
is a vast variety of 3D computer aided design (CAD) software that can be used to obtain a fully enclosed
volume. There are other methods to obtain the desired model too, such as reverse engineering or
tomography, but these are not as flexible as the first mentioned.
The next step is the conversion of the CAD model to an STL file (STereoLithography). STL has
several backronyms such as "Standard Triangle Language" and "Standard Tessellation Language". Most
CAD system can output an STL file, which is used as the basis of layering the model. STL is a simple
way of describing the shape of the model by approximating the model surface with triangular facets.[4]
After an STL file has been generated, the file is imported into a slicer program. This program takes the
STL file and converts it to G code. G code is a numerical control (NC) programming language. It is used
in computer aided manufacturing (CAM) to control automatic machine tools (including CNC machines
and 3D printers). The slicing program allows the designer to customize the construction parameters,
including the support, the layer height and the orientation of the part.
Once the software has sent the part build instructions to the machine, it starts to build the part layer
upon layer. There are several ways to form a cross section, depending on the particular technology being
used. Some AM machines use computer-controlled scan head (laser scanner, nozzle, cutting knife, etc.)
to scan lines in order to form a layer cross section (through curing resin, sintering powder, binding
powder, cutting paper, etc.). The newly formed layer will be bonded to the previous one until the whole
part is finished.[4]
After the part is finished being built, it has to be removed from the machine and post-processed. The
removal requires interaction with the machine, thus safety measures must be taken. Post-processing has
to be done next, with extreme caution, since the parts might be weak at this point, or they still have
support material in need of removal. Cleaning the part of left-over powder or resin might also be
required, and, in many cases, even further processing such as machining, if a surface requires a finer
finish than the AM machine can provide, infiltration to make the part stronger, heat treatment for metal
parts, or colouring and painting if the part needs to be in a colour other than that provided by the AM
material.[1]
1.2. Current Usage of Additive Manufacturing
In recent years, AM technologies have been increasingly applied in various industry sectors to improve
the material performance and enhance energy efficiency and have been considered as one of the next-
generation solutions coming with advantages such as cost reduction, speed, accessibility, sustainability,
ability to create complex geometries. [5]
Wohlers Associates is a company that helps define, coordinate, and review the results of experiments
that test methods of rapid product development, additive manufacturing, and 3D scanning/imaging.
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According to their 2018 annual ‘state of the industry’ report [6] the areas of use for AM are as shown in
figure 3.
Figure 3. Industries using additive manufacturing, according to the 2018 Wholers Report.
Although there are many advantages in choosing these technologies, as they have been scarcely
pointed out in this paper thus far, AM also comes with its disadvantages. These include the relatively
high cost of the machines and operation, slow production rate, limited materials and the shrinkage of
fabricated parts.
2. Types of additive manufacturing technologies
There are many additive manufacturing processes available and there has yet to be determined an ideal
classification of all of them. What makes it difficult to do so are the their differences in terms of
materials, energy sources, types of feedstocks used and conveyance of feedstocks.The struggle is to find
a classification that will not exclude any of the processes while also allow room to accommodate new
ones that have not been discovered yet.[3]
Although the classification of AM processes is an ongoing debate, with new process techniques
emerging every day, this present paper will only introduce the categories published by the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies
(Standard Terminology for Additive Manufacturing Technologies, 2012), which, broadly, divides them
based on how the material is solidified, as follows: Vat Photopolymerization, Material Jetting, Binder
Jetting, Material Extrusion, Powder Bed Fusion, Sheet Lamination and Directed Energy Deposition.[7]
2.1. Vat Photopolymerization
Vat Polymerisation technologies uses a vat of liquid photopolymer resin, out of which the model is
constructed layer by layer. An ultraviolet (UV) light is used to cure or harden the resin where required,
whilst a platform moves the object being made downwards after each new layer is cured. The main
technologies in this category are stereolithography (SLA) using either lasers or DLPs (Digital Light
Processing), and Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP).[7] Out of these three,
Stereolithography is the first version of additive technology invented and is the most widely used AM
process technique nowadays.
As it can be seen in figure 4 the platform starts at one layer’s thickness beneath the surface of the polymer. The computer uses the sliced model information to control the dynamic mirrors, which direct
the laser beam over the vat surface, scanning the cross section of one layer of the part. The platform then
descends into the resin, allowing a fresh thin film to form over the previous one . The laser starts
scanning the new layer, building the next slice as well as bonding it to the previous one. The process is
repeated until the desired part is built. The waste-free quality of this process is highlighted by the fact
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that the leftover resin can be used for a future builds. For overhanging features of the part, easily
removable synthetic supports can be designed to ensure the correct formation.[1][4]
Figure 4. Schematic representation of the Stereolithography process.
2.2. Material Jetting
Material jetting creates objects in a similar manner to an inkjet printer. Material is jetted onto a build
platform using either a continuous or Drop on Demand (DOD) approach.
The printer head moves horizontally above the platform, depositing liquid photopolymer material
onto it for each layer of the model. The material is then cured by UV light or allowed to cool and harden.
Machines vary in complexity and in their methods of controlling the deposition of material. The material
layers are then cured or hardened using ultraviolet light. The process is then repeated until the
completion of the part. In figure 5 it can be seen that the print-head is designed to deposit both the part
material, as well as any required support material that will subsequently need to be removed.
As material must be deposited in drops, the number of materials available to use is limited. Polymers
and waxes are suitable and commonly used materials, due to their viscous nature and ability to form
drops.[7]
Figure 5. Schematic representation of the Material Jetting process.
2.3. Binder Jetting
Similar to the technologies presented so far, the Binder Jetting process makes use of a descending
platform, building the product layer by layer. In this case the materials used in the process are a powder
based material that is spread over the build platform using a roller, and a binder, usually liquid, that is
deposited on top of the powder where necessary. The print head moves horizontally depositing
alternating layers of the build material and the binding material thus creating the final piece. Figure 6
shows the schematic representation of the Binder Jetting process.
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In contrast to the others, this process does not require additional supports as the unbound powder
serves this role, being easily removed after completion.
Figure 6. Schematic representation of the Binder Jetting process.
2.4. Material Extrusion
The Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) is shown in figure 7. This is one of the most common and
accessible additive manufacturing technologies. Material is being fed to a nozzle, where it is heated and
then deposited in a continuous stream onto the moving platform. Each new layer fuses automatically to
the previous because of its melted state.
Figure 7. Schematic representation of the Material Extrusion process.
2.5. Powder Bed Fusion
Powder Bed Fusion technologies includes: Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), Electron beam melting
(EBM), Selective heat sintering (SHS), Selective laser melting (SLM) and Selective laser sintering
(SLS).
The Powder Bed Fusion process, shown in figure 8, makes use of a moving platform on which the
build material, in powder form, is spread. This method uses a laser or an electron beam to both melt the
current layer and, at the same time, bond it to the previous one. Wherever the fusing agent has been
printed, the powder absorbs enough of the heat energy to melt, whereas the rest of the material remains
in unfused powder form. These technologies can produce parts in both a variety of polymers (in the case
of LS) and metals (in the case of SLM and EBM).[1]
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Figure 8. Schematic representation of the Powder Bed Fusion process.
2.6. Sheet Lamination
Sheet lamination processes include laminated object manufacturing (LOM) and ultrasonic additive
manufacturing (UAM).
LOM involves layer-by-layer lamination of paper material sheets, cut individually, each sheet
representing one layer of the CAD model. In LOM, the excess portions of the paper sheet is sliced into
cubes using a cross-hatch cutting operation for easy removal post build, as it can be seen in figure 9.[2]
The UAM process uses sheets or ribbons of metal. The material is cut into shape using a laser and
then bound together with the previous layer using ultrasonic welding. These two steps are
interchangeable as the material can be bonded before being cut. The process does require additional
CNC machining and removal of the unbound metal, often during the welding process.[7]
Figure 9. Schematic representation of the Sheet Lamination process.
2.7. Directed Energy Deposition
Directed Energy Deposition (DED) covers a range of technologies including LENS (Laser engineered
net shaping), DMD (direct metal deposition), CLAD (3D laser cladding). It is a process commonly used
to repair or add additional material to existing components.
A DED machine functions on the same principle as material extrusion, with the difference that the
nozzle is fixed on a 4 or 5 axis arm that moves around a fixed object. Figure 10 shows how the material,
which can be deposited from any angle, is melted upon deposition with a laser or electron beam. The
process can be used with polymers, ceramics but is typically used with metals, in the form of either
powder or wire.[7]
Figure 10. Schematic representation of the Directed Energy Deposition process.
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3. Surface quality in additive manufacturing Additive Manufacturing technologies have progressed in the past few years and are even capable of
producing functional parts instead of just prototypes, but so far it has some drawbacks. One of the main
issues, that needs significant improvement, is the surface texture and integrity. The surface quality is
very important, as it can influence the accuracy and performance of the product, and minimize the
quantity of post-processing operations.The surface roughness of the produced surface has been the main
concern of many studies focused on determining and controlling the different factors affecting it.
Sikder et al.[8] proposes a new adaptive algorithm which globally optimizes a texture error function
produced by the staircase effect for a user-defined number of layers. The adaptive slicing algorithm
dynamically calculates optimized slicing thicknesses based on the rapid prototyping machine’s specifications to minimize the texture error function. By comparing their results with the common
practice for several other case studies, they showed that utilizing this approach can lead to the number
of prototyping layers to be reduced by 20-50, while maintaining or improving the accuracy of the final
manufactured surfaces. Anitha et al.[9] used the Taguchi statistical approach in the attempt to obtain
the optimum process conditions for a minimised surface roughness on FDM prototypes. The parameters
they studied are layer thickness, road width and speed of material deposition on the surface roughness.
They used three levels for each parameter and studied the effect of each one of them on the final surface
roughness. Bacchewar et al.[10] studied the effect of build orientation, laser power, layer thickness,
beam speed, and hatch spacing, on surface roughness of SLS parts. They used central rotatable
composite design (CCD) to plan the experimental work and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to study the
significance of process variables on the surface roughness. They found that in the case of upward-facing
surfaces (surface angle less than 90 degrees) , build orientation and layer thickness have been the
significant parameters. In downward facing surfaces (surface angle between 90 and 180 degrees), other
than build orientation and layer thickness, laser power has also been found to be significant.
Safdar et al.[11] developed a mathematical model based upon response surface methodology (RSM)
in order to study the variation of surface roughness with changing process parameter settings on EBM
fabricated Ti-6Al-4V metallic parts. They studied the surface roughness of the test slabs produced with
different parameter settings and thickness under confocal microscope, revealing that the surface
roughness parameter 𝑅𝑎 varies between 1-20 mm in each different case. It was found that the 𝑅𝑎 value
increases with increasing sample thickness and beam current, and decreases with the increase in offset
focus and scan speed.
Ahn et al.[12] present a methodology to quantify the surface roughness of parts processed by
Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM). They studied the surface profiles of the parts by surface angle
variation, and constructed a schematic that can express surface profiles by considering the LOM process
factor geometrically. A theoretical model to quantify the average surface roughness was proposed, and
the expressions required for numerical computation were deduced and defined. The proposed approach
was verified by comparing measured data with computed values. Additionally, the effects of the process
variables related to surface quality, such as surface angle, layer thickness, cutting shape, and penetration
depth, were analyzed and evaluated. Their method can be used to predict the surface roughness of AM
fabricated millimeter structures or micro parts.
When using powder-bed fusion, the part is being built by melting metal-powder particles with a
laser, a process that leaves rough surfaces, with partially melted powder particles potentially being
stuck to the sides of the part. Rombouts et al.[13] studies the effects of surface inclination angle and
strategies to improve the surface finish of Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) components. The experiment
they conduct show that by laser remelting after powder deposition a substantial improvement in surface
quality of both the side and top surfaces can be obtained.
An industry-related survey [14] inffered that most AM parts require post-processing (computer
numerical control machining, abrasive machining, laser machining, chemical treatments, etc.) to fulfill
the minimum surface roughness levels required by the industry.
To conclude this chapter, it is important to point out that the surface quality, an imperial factor for
the functionality of most parts, can be affected by various different factors in the AM process. These
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factors are present in all production stages, from pre-processing, processing to post-processing, varying
from one AM machine to another.
4. Conclusions
In conclusion, this paper shows that additive manufacturing benefits from multiple and important
advantages. These advantages allow the successful use of AM in many different fields.
Like any new technology though, AM still has limitations and disadvantages that still require quite
a lot of experimental research. The low number of usable materials, surface quality issues and accuracy
levels, tolerances, and the limited build chamber volumes are major technical barriers that need to be
overcome in order to achieve the large-scale industrial use of AM technologies. Nevertheless, even if
AM will not eliminate conventional manufacturing technologies any time soon, it will most definitely
operate side by side with them from now on.
The present study gives a small insight in the world of AM technologies, the multitude of different
processes there are and the effect of process parameters on the final product. Since materials play a
dominant role in additive manufacturing , for the future, a more detailed study regarding how these
influence the surface quality of the built part is desired. An engineer could make use of such a study in
order to make the optimal choices well in advance of the manufacturing the part.
5. References
[1] Olaf Diegel, Axel Nordin, Damien Motte. “A Practical Guide to Design for Additive Manufacturing”. Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing, 2019.
[2] Brent Stucker, David Rosen, Ian Gibson. “Additive Manufacturing Technologies: 3D Printing,
Rapid Prototyping, and Direct Digital Manufacturing”. Springer, 2010.
[3] Sanjay Kumar. “Additive Manufacturing Processes”. Springer, 2020.
[4] Lian Q., Xiangquan W., Dichen L. “Additive Manufacturing Technology”. Digital Orthopedics. Springer, 2018
[5] Cheng Sun, Yun Wang, Michael D. McMurtrey, Nathan D. Jerred, Frank Liou, Ju Li.“Additive manufacturing for energy: A review”. Nano energy, ScienceDirect, 2010.
[6] Wohlers Report 2018: 3D printing and additive manufacturing state of the industry. 2018. ISBN
978-0-9913332-3-3
[7] The Additive Manufacturing Reasearch Group (AMRG) at Loughborough University. “About Additive Manufacturing”. Loughborough University, 2021. viewed 15 January 2021, <https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/amrg/about/the7categoriesofadditivemanufacturing/>.
[8] Sikder S., Barari A., & Kishawy H. A. “Global adaptive slicing of NURBS based sculptured
surface for minimum texture error in rapid prototyping”. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2015
[9] Anitha R., Arunachalam S., & Radhakrishnan P. “Critical parameters influencing the quality of prototypes in fused deposition modelling”. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 2001.
[10] Bacchewar P. B., Singhal S. K., & Pandey P. M. “Statistical modelling and optimization of surface roughness in the selective laser sintering process”. Proceedings of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2007.
[11] Safdar A., He H. Z., Wei L., Snis A. & Chavez de Paz L. E. “ Effect of process parameters settings
and thickness on surface roughness of EBM produced Ti‐6Al‐4V”. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2012.
[12] Ahn D., Kweon J.-H., Choi J., & Lee S. “Quantification of surface roughness of parts processed by laminated object manufacturing”. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 2012.
[13] Rombouts M., Maes G., Hendrix W., Delarbre E., & Motmans F.”Surface Finish after Laser Metal Deposition”. Physics Procedia, 2013.
[14] Kretzschmar N.; Chekurov S.; Salmi M.; Tuomi J. “Evaluating the readiness level of additivelymanufactured digital spare parts: an industrial perspective”. Appl. Sci, 2018.
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Packaging waste recycling in Europe. What is Romania's
place?
Marian Zaharia
1 Association for Democracy, Education, Respect, Targu-Jiu, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The imperative conditions for sustainable development both in Europe and around
the world, waste collection is a fundamental goal, one way to achieve this is to develop circular
economies. In this context, the paper analyzes the evolutions of the recycling rate of packaging
waste by type of packaging in Romania compared to the 27 states of the European Union, as
well as to other states in Europe. The analysis revealed that, among the 30 states included in
the analysis, Romania moved from 28th place in 2006 to 23rd place in 2018, but is still quite
far from the European Union average.
Keywords: wastes, packaging wastes, recycling, circular economy, Romania
1. Introduction One of the imperatives of sustainable development and at the same time a practical way to achieve it is
to move to a circular economy designed to increase the EU's competitiveness by protecting businesses
from resource scarcity, creating new business opportunities and innovative ways [1]. An economy
functioning as a sustainable ecosystem with integrated ecological and economic relations, which
closes, reduces and tightens the resource loop [2], through appropriate entrepreneurial practices
leading to the efficient use of resources and waste prevention, through actions aimed at reduce the
amount of waste to be managed and treated by public authorities [3].
On the other hand, in market economies, with significant competitive processes, in the
“visualization of products” and attracting consumers, the packaging of products plays an important role, packaging being the ones that attract attention. This leads to the search for and development of
new forms and packaging techniques, targeting not only design but also environmental, logistical,
waste management [4], whose production increases in parallel with that of the products for which they
are intended, with an impact on management them. Under these conditions, a significant improvement
in the collection of packaging waste is their design so as to make consumers aware of the recycling of
specific packaging [5], through easy sorting and separation [6], and ultimately lead to a change in
recycling behaviour of them [7].
Another important aspect of packaging recycling is the cost versus the benefits. Studies by Ferreira
[8] have shown that industry should increase financial support for local authorities in this process, but
if the benefits of avoiding other treatments are significant, the benefits outweigh the costs. Also
viewed in terms of efficiency, Umarsman [9] presents a multi-criteria model for streamlining the
management of the collection and separation of packaging waste, phases that he considers of prime
importance in the recycling process.
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.5:33-43
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In Romania, packaging recycling management, although lasting for over a decade [10], is still
partially solved with multiple revaluations and improvements, both in terms of infrastructure and in
terms of legislation [11]. Willingly or unwillingly, Romania will have to align itself with European
rigors [12] and increase the recycling rates of packaging waste not only to avoid possible sanctions,
but also to move towards a ‘circular economy’. Taking into account the aspects presented above, the main objective of the paper was to analyze the
evolution of the packaging waste recycling process, both in the Member States of the European Union,
in its current structure, and in the non-member states for which data are available.
Taking into account the availability of data series, as well as to include as many states as possible
in this analysis, the research covered the period 2006-2018. Thirty-one states were included in the
analysis, the sample consisting of the 27 EU states, to which were added the United Kingdom, Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway.
2. Data series and methodology The main data source was the Eurostat database, respectively the data series on recycling rate of
packaging waste by type of packaging [13].
The analysis included both data series on recycling rate of total packaging waste, and by types:
paper and cardboard packaging, plastic packaging, wooden packaging, metallic packaging and glass
packaging (Table 1). The recycling rate of packaging waste indicator is defined as the share of
recycled packaging waste in all generated packaging waste [14].
Table 1. The variables used to analyze the evolutions of recycling rate of packaging waste
Indicator Significance Units OBEs
TPR Total packaging rate %
PCPR Paper and cardboard packaging rate %
PPR Plastic packaging rate % exclusively material that is recycled back
into plastic
EPR Wooden packaging rate % Including repair of wooden packaging waste
MPR Metallic packaging rate %
GPR Glass packaging rate %
In order to substantiate the performed analyzes, a series of statistical indicators were determined,
among which means, despairs, regression coefficients, correlation ratios, determination coefficients,
etc. The F test, the t test (Student) and the ANOVA methodology were used to test the statistical
meanings of their values. The main statistical hypotheses are of the form:
H0_1: parameter (mean, correlation coefficient) does not differ significantly from zero; it is not
statistically significant (dfs tt
,2
).
H0_2: correlation ratio (coefficient of determination) does not differ significantly from zero; is
not statistically significant ( 2,1, dfdfs FF ).
In the null hypotheses above, ts and Fs are the values of the statistics t and F, determined according
to the parameter whose value is to be tested in terms of statistical significance, α is the significance threshold, and df, df1 and df2 represent the degrees of freedom.
The 95% confidence coefficient (α = 0.05) was used to test the statistical hypotheses. The processing of the data series corresponding to the six variables was performed using SPSS.
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3. Results and discussions Packaging recirculation is not a new activity, it has older roots initially determined by economic
considerations. The economic development and especially the forms of marketing have led to an
increasing increase in the quantities of packaging waste becoming a pollution factor. This fact as well
as the development of circular economies have led in recent decades to the development of their
recycling management.
3.1. An overview
In a first phase, in order to have an overview of the transformations produced in the period 2006-2018
on the recycling rate of packaging waste, the characteristics of the data series corresponding to the six
variables were determined and analyzed both at the beginning and at the end of the analyzed period.
At the level of 2006, the characteristics of the analyzed variables (Table 2) highlight the fact that,
although the average values are statistically significant (statistical 060.225,025.0 ttcalc , rejecting
the hypothesis H0_1), the values of variation coefficient lead to the conclusion that the data series
corresponding to the variables PPR, WPR, MPR and GPR are not homogeneous, which means that
there are big and very big differences between countries especially regarding recycling rate of wooden
packaging waste and recycling rate of glass packaging waste. This conclusion is also underlined by the
high values of the Range characteristic.
Table 2 Characteristics of the variables used, corresponding to 2006
TPR PSPR PPR WPR MPR GPR
Mean 50.03 69.20 25.56 29.54 57.56 56.64
Standard Error 2.82 3.35 2.00 4.44 4.31 5.70
Median 51.40 71.40 24.60 20.90 61.50 58.90
Standard Deviation 15.21 18.05 10.78 23.50 23.23 30.72
Sample Variance 231.20 325.73 116.11 552.41 539.46 943.44
Kurtosis 0.31 2.49 -0.77 -0.60 0.29 -0.96
Skewness -0.43 -1.15 0.00 0.71 -0.58 0.07
Range 68.20 83.00 39.80 77.10 93.80 107.60
Count* 29 29 29 28 29 29
Confidence Level(95.0%) 5.78 6.87 4.10 9.11 8.83 11.68
ts 17.72 20.65 12.77 6.65 13.35 9.93
VC 0.30 0.26 0.42 0.80 0.40 0.54
ts= Mean/ Standard Error; VC – variation coefficient
* at the level of 2006 for Croatia and Iceland no data were available
From the point of view of the type of distributions, it results that, except for PCPR for which
Kurtosis has a value of 2.49> 1.96, the others have normal distribution, TPR and MPR being
leptocurtical and asymmetric on the right, and PPR, WPR and GPR are platicurtic and asymmetric on
the left..
The data series corresponding to 2018 highlight the existence of several overall positive results. A
first positive fact is the increase of the average values of all the six data series with values between
8.76 percentage points, in the case of the WPR variable, and 18.17 percentage points, in the case of the
MPR variable, the values obtained being also statistically significant (statistics
042.230,025.0 ttcalc ).
Another positive aspect is the increase of the homogeneity of the data series. The coefficient of
variation (VC) values show that, with the exception of WPR, all other data series are homogeneous or
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relatively homogeneous. At the same time, the amplitude of the variation (Range) was reduced for
four of the variables (TPR, PSPR, MPR and GPR), which means that the corresponding recycling rate
of packaging waste trends tend towards average values, which is also highlighted by the reduction of
Standard Error values. Standard Deviation and Sample Vaiance.
Table 3 The characteristics of the variables used, corresponding to 2018
TPR PSPR PPR WPR MPR GPR
Mean 63.70 82.95 40.90 38.30 75.73 72.05
Standard Error 1.67 2.08 2.13 3.80 3.21 3.51
Median 65.70 82.90 37.70 30.00 77.60 75.15
Standard Deviation 9.32 11.58 11.85 20.81 17.88 19.24
Sample Variance 86.84 134.21 140.44 433.24 319.52 370.25
Kurtosis 1.64 1.33 -0.28 0.22 1.99 -0.10
Skewness -0.64 0.35 0.47 1.05 -1.18 -0.59
Range 48.20 58.00 48.30 81.00 79.50 72.00
Count 31 31 31 31 31 31
Confidence Level(95.0%) 3.42 4.25 4.35 7.77 6.56 7.19
ts 38.06 39.87 19.22 10.08 23.59 20.51
VC 0.15 0.14 0.29 0.54 0.24 0.27
The values of the parameters of the shape of their distributions (Kurtosis and Skewness) and the
data series corresponding to the six variables with a normal distribution were also improved.
Comparing the values of the parameters of the data series corresponding to the analyzed variables,
it can be concluded that, overall, during the period 2006-2018, the recycling processes of packaging
waste have improved, their recycling rate being higher.
3.1. Evolutions of the recycling rate of total packaging waste process
At the level of 2006, the first year for which the data series on recycling rate of packaging waste were
available in most European countries, the values recorded were between 10.8%, recorded in Malta,
and 79%, recorded in Belgium. At the level of the European Union, the recycling rate of total
packaging waste was 56.8% (figure 1).
For the comparability of results and highlighting the performance of states in the analyzed period
we structured the states included in the analysis, in terms of recycling rate of total packaging waste in
three groups: the group of leaders (recycling rate over 65%), the group of states with average
performance (recycling rates between 55% and 65%) and, respectively, the group of low-performing
states (recycling rate below 65%).
The group of leaders in the recycling rate of total packaging waste in 2006 included five states, of
which three (Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands) with recycling rate values above 70%, and two
(Austria and Germany) with recycling rate values of 68.4% and 66.5% respectively.
The group of states with average performance in recycling rate of total packaging waste included,
in addition to the value recorded in the European Union (56.8%), also five states. Of these,
Luxembourg and the Czech Republic recorded values above 60.0% (63.8% and 63.4%, respectively)
while Sweden, UK and Denmark recorded values of recycling rates between 56.2% (Denmark) and
58.1% (Sweden)..
The third group, the group of states with low performance in the recycling rate of total packaging
waste was much more numerous, comprising 19 states. Of these, in 12 states the recycling rate values
were between 40.3% (Slovenia) and 54.9% (Italy), and in 4 states the recycling rate values were
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between 35.0% (Bulgaria) and 37.1% (Poland). The weakest performances in the recycling rate of
total packaging waste were registered in Malta (10.8%), Cyprus (25.2%) and Romania (28.6%)
Figure 1 Recycling rate of total packaging waste în 2006
In the period 2006-2018, the process of recycling of packaging waste was characterized by an
increase in intensity, both in the Member States of the European Union and in non-member states.
Thus, in the case of the 27 states, currently members of the European Union, if in 2006 the difference
between the highest and the lowest recycling rate was 68.6 percentage points, in 2018, it decreased to
39.2 percentage points (Figure 2) . The average values of the recycling rate of total packaging waste
increased continuously, from 56.8%, to 66.3%, in 2018, on an ascending train of 0.8 percentage points
annually, for a level of uncertainty of 95% (R2=0.8502; Fc=62.43>F0.05,1,11=4.86)
The leader, in the entire analyzed period, was Belgium, in which the rate of total packaging waste
evolved on an ascending trend from 79.0%, in 2006, to 85.3%. in 2018.
Figure 2 Evolution of recycling rate of total packaging waste in EU27
79,0%
56,8%
28,6%
10,8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Bel
giu
mN
orw
ayN
eth
erla
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sA
ust
ria
Ger
man
yL
uxem
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urg
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chia
Sw
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UK
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27
Den
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aly
Fra
nce
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and
Sp
ain
Po
rtu
gal
Fin
lan
dH
un
gar
yLi
echt
enst…
Est
on
iaG
reec
eL
atv
iaS
lov
enia
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nd
Lit
hu
ania
Slo
vak
iaB
ulg
aria
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man
iaC
yp
rus
Mal
ta
79,0%85,3%
10,4%
28,5%
46,1%
28,6%
56,8%
52,8%
57,9%56,8%
66,3%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Romania EU27
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At the opposite pole, the lower limit of the area of recycling values of total packaging waste was
given alternately by Malta, (in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and the period 2014-2017), Romania (33.5% in
2008) , Poland (2011-2013) and Hungary (46.1% in 2018). It should be noted that the values of the
lower limit of the recycling rate of total packaging waste fluctuated quite a lot, especially in the first
half of the analyzed period (10.4% in 2009, 36% in 2009, 28% in 2010, 41.4% in 2012).
In Romania, for the entire analyzed period, the evolution of recycling rate of total packaging waste
was on an upward trend with an annual increase of 2.77 percentage points, statistically significant
value for α = 0.05 (R2 = 0.8811; Fc = 81.51> F0. 05.1.11 = 4.86). It should be noted that growth was
stronger in the period 2006-2012, with an average annual increase of 4.7 percentage points. In 2013,
the recycling rate of total packaging waste decreased by 4 percentage points (from 56.8% in 2012 to
52.8% in 2013). In the period 2013-2018 it returned to an ascending evolution with an average annual
increase of 1.02 percentage points, so that in 2018, the recycling rate of total packaging waste was
57.9%.
In the case of non-EU Member States included in the analysis (Figure 3), the evolution of recycling
rate of total packaging waste was both increased and decreased, so that, with the exception of Norway,
the values recorded in 2018 were higher than those registered in 2006 and 2010 for Iceland,
respectively.
In Norway, the data series shows a significant reduction in the recycling rate of total packaging
waste very strong in the period 2006-2009, from 70.3% in 2006 to 53.1% in 2009, followed by an
oscillating period until 2018, around a rate of 53%.
Figure 3 Evolution of recycling rate of total packaging waste in United Kingdom, Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway
The evolutions registered by the recycling rate of total packaging waste, in the other three states,
although they are increasing and differ significantly. Thus, in the United Kingdom the recycling rate
of total packaging waste had an evolution that oscillated slightly around a trend with a very small
slope, of 0.33 percentage points per year (R2 = 0.374; Fc = 6.56> F0.05.1 , 11 = 4.86). In contrast, in
Liechtenstein the values recorded are characterized by large differences from one year to another
which tends to stabilize on a slightly upward train after 2015. Overall, however, there is a significant
increase of 19.1 percentage points. An evolution of a significant linear recycling rate of total
packaging waste is also recorded in Iceland (R2=0.6051; Fc=10.73>F0.05,1,7=5.58). significant of 19.1
percentage points. The slope of the regression line shows an annual increase of 1.41 percentage points.
57,5%
62,1%
35,7%
50,0%48,9%
68,0%70,3%
52,9%y = 1,4078x + 33,452
R² = 0,6031
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
United Kingdom Iceland Liechtenstein Norway
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The evolutions of the recycling rate of total packaging waste, registered in the analyzed states, in
the period 2006-2018, led to the restructuring of their ranking in the three performance groups defined
above (Figure 4).
Thus, in 2018, the group of leaders in the recycling rate of total packaging waste consisted of 17
states. In first place is Belgium (85.3%), followed by six states (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovenia
Cyprus, Finland and Sweden) with recycling rate values between 70.1% (Sweden) and 77.2%
(Netherlands). The other 10 states recorded recycling rate values between 65.5% (Austria) and 69.6%
Czech Republic.
Figure 4 Recycling rate of total packaging waste în 2018
The progress made in the recycling rate of total packaging waste differs significantly from one state
to another. The most significant increases were in Cyprus (45.0 percentage points), Slovakia (30.3
percentage points), Greece (26.8 percentage points), Finland (21.1 percentage points), Spain (14.8
percentage points), Italy (13.4 percentage points) and Frace (10.9 percentage points), states that passed
from the third group (low performance group) directly to the group of leaders. It should be noted that,
although it remained in the group of leaders, Austria recorded a decline in the recycling rate of total
packaging waste of 2.9 percentage points (from 68.4% in 2006 to 65.5% in 2018).
Of the five states that in 2006 formed the group of states with average performance in recycling
rate of total packaging waste, in 2028, only the UK remained, the others passing in the group of
leaders. In 2018, in addition to the UK, eight more countries moved from this group to the third group,
among which the most significant increases in recycling rates were registered in Romania (29.3
percentage points), Bulgaria (25.4 percentage points), Lithuania ( 23.7 percentage points), Poland
(21.6 percentage points), Estonia (14.7 percentage points), and Latvia (13.6 percentage points). Also,
in 2018, Croatia is in this group with a recycling rate of total packaging waste of 58.4%.
The third group, the group of states with low performance in the recycling rate of total packaging
waste, decreased significantly, from 19 states in 2006 to 4 states in 2018: Norway (52.9%), Iceland
(50.0%), Hungary (46.1%) and Malta (37.1%). Although Malta continues to be in last place among the
states included in the analysis, it should be noted that in the period 2006-2018 it registered a
significant increase of 26.3 percentage points in the recycling rate of total packaging waste.
85,3%
66,3%
57,9%
37,1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Bel
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Luxem
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ania
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ug
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atv
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ungar
yM
alta
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3.1. Evolutions and mutations of the recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging
Recycling rate of packaging waste differs significantly, both from one type of packaging to another, as
compared to the recycling rate of total packaging waste. During the analyzed period, at the level of the
European Union, the recycling rates by types of packaging had different evolutions (Figure 5) with
values between 27.1% registered in 2006 for plastic packaging and 84.2%, registered in 2018, for
paper and cardboard packaging..
In the first place, in terms of recycling rates, in the entire analyzed period were paper and
cardboard packaging waste. Their recycling rate increased from 75.4% in 2006, to 83.5% in 2012 and
to 84.2% in 2018, the total increase being 8.8 percentage points.
One of the lowest levels of recycling was recorded for plastic packaging and wooden packaging.
Thus, in the case of plastic packaging, compared to a recycling rate of 27.1%, which, in 2006, placed
this type of packaging on the last place, in 2012, there was an increase of 9.9 percentage points,
reaching 37.0%, and in 2018 of 41.5%, which, compared to 2006, represents an increase of 53.14%. In
the case of wooden packaging, the evolution of the recycling rate was totally different. If in the period
2006-2012 there was an increase of 2.6 percentage points, in the period 2012-2018 there was a decline
of 3 percentage points, which led to a lower value of the recycling rate than in 2006 (34.5%, in 2018,
compared to 34.9% in 2006).
In the case of metal packaging and glass packaging, the values of recycling rates in 2018 were
1,218 times higher than in 2006. Recycling rate of metallic packaging fell from 68.1% in 2006 to
76.6% in 2012 (an increase of 8.5 points percentages) and to 82.9% in 2018, which, in terms of
recycling rates, ranks second. Regarding glass packaging, their recycling rate increased from 62.2% in
2006 to 73.1% in 2012 and 75.8% in 2018, the total increase being 13.6 percentage points.
Figure 5 Recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging in EU27
At the level of Romania, both the increases and decreases in the values of recycling rate of
packaging waste by type of packaging had higher amplitudes than those recorded in the European
Union (figure 6), recycling rates by type of packaging evolving between 3.3%, recorded value in 2006
for wooden packaging and 88.9%, registered in 2018, for paper and cardboard packaging (value
similar to that recorded at EU27 level)
The first place in terms of recycling rates was disputed by metallic packaging and paper and
cardboard packaging. In the case of recycling rate of paper and cardboard packaging waste from a
recycling rate of 55.7%, which ranked it second in 2006 in this respect, after an increase of 14.1
percentage points, it reaches in 2012 in first place with a recycling rate of 69.8%. The upward trend is
still maintained, so that the recycling rate of paper and cardboard packaging waste reaches 88.9% in
2018. In contrast, the recycling rate of metallic packaging waste recorded, in the period 2006-2012, a
decline of 21.7 percentage points, the recycling rate being only 55.5%. In the period 2012-2018 the
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
PaperPlastic
WoodenMetalic
Glass2006 2012 2018
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trend is reversed and following an increase of 3.2 percentage points, recycling rate of metallic
packaging waste reaches 58.7%, which places it in third place. Although plastic waste is particularly
harmful to the environment, the recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in Romania has been at a
low level. From a recycling rate of only 17.0% in 2006, in 2012 it reached 51.3%, which is an increase
of 34.3 percentage points. Unfortunately, in the period 2012-2018 there is a significant decline (-8.3
percentage points) so that in 2018 the recycling rate of plastic waste decreases to only 43.0%.
Figure 6 Recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging in Romania
In 2006, the lowest levels of recycling were recorded in wooden packaging and glass packaging.
Thus, in the case of wooden packaging, compared to a recycling rate of 3.3%, a value that, in 2006,
placed this type of packaging in last place, in 2012 there was an increase of 37.8 percentage points,
reaching 41.1%. As in the case of plastic packaging waste, in the period 2012-2018, there is a decline
in the recycling rate of wooden packaging waste, so that in 2018 the recycling rate drops to 28.4%,
which corresponds to the last place.
Figure 7 Comparative evolution of recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging in
Romania and EU27
In the case of glass packaging, the evolution of the recycling rate was increasing in the period
2006-2012, registering an increase of 58.8 percentage points. In the period 2012-2018 there is also a
decline (-5.2 percentage points), which led to a value of the recycling rate of 61.1%.
For a more eloquent picture of Romania's position in relation to the European Union average in
terms of recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging, Figure 7 shows in parallel the
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
PaperPlastic
WoodenMetalic
Glass2006 2012 2018
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%Paper
RO_Paper
Metalic
RO_Metalic
Glass
RO_Glass
Plastic
RO_Plastic
Wooden
RO_Wooden
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developments of recycling rates for each of the five types of packaging. In 2006, with the exception of
the recycling rate of metallic packaging waste, which was 9.1 percentage points higher than the
average registered in the European Union, in the case of other types of packaging, Romania was below
average, with values between 10.1 percentage points, in in the case of plastic packaging, and 54.7
percentage points in the case of glass packaging.
The evolutions of the recycling rate of packaging waste from 2006-2012 lead to the reduction of
the gaps, these being between 6.8, in the case of glass packaging and 21.1 percentage points, in the
case of metallic packaging. It should be noted that in 2012 the recycling rate of plastic packaging
waste exceeded the European Union average by 14.3 percentage points, and the recycling rate of
wooden packaging waste by 3.6 percentage points.
After sinuous evolutions, registered for all five types of packaging waste, in 2018, Romania
registered values of recycling rate of packaging waste higher than the European Union averages for
paper and cardboard packaging by 4.7 percentage points (88.9%, compared to 84.2%) and for plastic
packaging with 1.5 percentage points (43.0%, compared to 41.5%). At the same time, values were
lower than the European Union average for wooden packaging 28.4%, compared to 34.5% (-6.1
percentage points), for glass packaging 61.1%, compared to 75.8% (-14.7 percentage points), as well
as for metallic packaging 58.7 %, compared to 82.9% (-24.2 percentage points).
Conclusions During the analyzed period, the evolutions of the recycling rate values of total packaging waste
registered in the 30 analyzed states were, with three exceptions, ascending so that, if in 2006 the
lowest value of the total recycling rate was 10.8% (value registered in Malta ), and the highest, of
79.0% (registered in Belgium), in 2018, they had reached 37.1% and 85.3% respectively, extreme
values registered in the same states. Also, the European Union's average recycling rate of total
packaging waste increased from 56.8% in 2006 to 66.3 in 2018.
The evolutions of the recycling rate of total packaging waste were different from one state to
another so that their hierarchical positions changed. The most significant increases, with over 25
percentage points were recorded in Cyprus (45.0 percentage points), Slovenia and Slovakia (30.3
percentage points), Romania (29.3 percentage points), Greece (26.8 percentage points), Malta (26.3
percentage points) ) and Bulgaria (25.4 percentage points). Small increases in the recycling rate of
total packaging waste, below 10 percentage points, were recorded in Belgium, Czech Republic,
Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. At the same time in
Hungary, Austria and Norway there were decreases in the recycling rate of total packaging waste.
These developments made Romania move from the penultimate place in 2006 (group of states with
low performance on recycling rate of total packaging waste), in 2018, in the group of countries with
average performance on recycling rate of total packaging waste.
The analysis performed on the recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging highlighted,
in addition to the general trend of increasing recycling rates, significant differences between the five
types of packaging. Thus, at the level of the European Union, from the point of view of recycling rate,
in the period 2006-2008 there were increases in recycling rate of packaging waste to metallic
packaging (14.8 percentage points), plastic packaging (14.4 percentage points), glass packaging (13.6
percentage points) and metallic packaging (14.8 percentage points), paper and cardboard packaging
(8.8 percentage points), while the recycling rate of wooden packaging waste decreased by 0.4
percentage points. Under these conditions, in 2018, in terms of the value of recycling rate of
packaging waste on the first place were paper and cardboard packaging (84.2%), metallic packaging
(82.9%), glass packaging (75.8%), plastic packaging (41.5 %) and wooden packaging (82.9%).
In Romania, in the period 2006-2018, the evolutions of recycling rate of packaging waste by type
of packaging were sinuous with increases and decreases of significant amplitudes. However, compared
to 2006, when the gaps compared to the European Union average regarding the recycling rate of
packaging waste of -54.7 percentage points for glass packaging and -31.6 percentage points for
wooden packaging, in 2018, the largest gaps are recorded for metallic packaging (- 24.2 percentage
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points) and glass packaging (-14.7 percentage points). On the other hand, in 2018, in Romania there
were values of recycling rate of packaging waste above the European Union average for plastic
packaging (with 1.5 percentage points) and paper and cardboard packaging (with 4.7 percentage
points).
From the point of view of the place occupied in the European Union, in 2018, in terms of the
values of recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging, Romania was on the 7th place for
paper and cardboard packaging (with 88.9%), on the 12th place plastic packaging (by 43.0%), 17th
place by wooden packaging (by 28.4%), 23rd place by metallic packaging (by 58.7%) and 19th place
by glass packaging (by 61.1%).
References
[1] European Commission (2015). Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy.
Communication From The Commission to The European Parliament, The Council, The
European Economic And Social Committee And The Committee of The Regions.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015DC0614.
[2] Ilie, Margareta, Ilie, Constantin and Marin, Ruxandra, (2019), Management Strategies in Circular
Economy, Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, XIX, issue 2, p. 944-
949.
[3] Lucia-Monica, Scortar, (2013), STUDY ON PACKAGING WASTE PREVENTION IN
ROMANIA, Annals of Faculty of Economics, 1, issue 1, p. 1404-1413.
[4] Wandosell, Gonzalo; Parra-Meroño, María C.;, Alcayde, Alfredo and Baños, Raúl, (2021), Green
Packaging from Consumer and Business Perspectives, Sustainability, 13, issue 3, p. 1-19.
[5] Williams, Helén, Wikström, Fredrik, Wetter-Edman, Katarina and Kristensson, Per,
(2018), Decisions on Recycling or Waste: How Packaging Functions Affect the Fate of
Used Packaging in Selected Swedish Households, Sustainability, 10, issue 12, p. 1-19.
[6] Nemat, Babak, Razzaghi, Mohammad, Bolton, Kim and Rousta, Kamran, (2020), The Potential
of Food Packaging Attributes to Influence Consumers’ Decisions to Sort Waste, Sustainability, 12, issue 6, p. 1-22.
[7] Chen, Feiyu, Chen, Hong, Yang, Jiahui, Long, Ruyin and Li, Qianwen, (2018), Impact of
Information Intervention on the Recycling Behavior of Individuals with Different Value
Orientations—An Experimental Study on Express Delivery Packaging
Waste, Sustainability, 10, issue 10, p. 1-20.
[8] Ferreira, S., Cabral, M., da Cruz, Nuno, Simões, P. and Marques, Rc, (2017), The costs and
benefits of packaging waste management systems in Europe: the perspective of local
authorities, LSE Research Online Documents on Economics, London School of
Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
[9] Umarusman, Talip Arsu Nurullah, (2020), Global Criterion Approach for the Solution of
Multiple Criteria Data Envelopment Analysis Model: An Application at Packaging Waste
Collection and Separation Facilities, Alphanumeric Journal, 8, issue 1, p. 79-96
[10] Sima, Cristian, (2012), Alternative systems for packaging waste collection, Revista de Economie
Industriala (Journal of Industrial Economics), 10, issue 1, p. 21-30.
[11] Jora, Octavian-Dragomir, Patruți, Alexandru and Iacob, Mihaela, (2018), The Vicious Circles of
Bureaucratic Circular Economy: The Case of Packaging Waste Euro-Targets for
Romania, The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, 20, issue 48.
[12] Teodor, Cristian, Trica, Carmen Lenuta, Ignat, Raluca and Dracea, Raluca-Mihaela,
(2020), Good Practices of Efficient Packaging Waste Management, The AMFITEATRU
ECONOMIC journal, 22, issue 55.
[13] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cei_wm020/default/table?lang=en. Recycling rate
of packaging waste by type of packaging [cei_wm040]
[14] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/cei_wm020_esmsip2.htm
Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainable Society (JRISS)
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Estimating the potential for selective collection of biowaste in
Romania and the capitalization by anaerobic digestion
Lucia Varga1, Ioana Ionel2, Gheorghe Zaman3, Emilia Dunca4, and Ramon
Mihai Balogh5,
1Institute of National Economy, Bucharest, Romania, 2Politehnica University Timisoara, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, 3Institute of National Economy, Bucharest, Romania, 4Petrosani University, Faculty of Mines, 5Politehnica University Timisoara, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Abstract. The aim of the paper is to make an x-ray of the potential of biological waste
collection for the production of biofuels and fertilizers in Romania. It presents the existing
legislative framework on bio-waste management as well as recycling technologies. A case
study on the evaluation of the potential for selective collection of bio-waste for its anaerobic
digestion is described.
Keywords: biowaste, circular economy, anaerobic digestion, biogas, bioeconomy
Introduction Global problems such as climate change, depletion of natural resources, destruction of biodiversity
and massive environmental pollution are the challenges facing humanity today. „Improving health and
environmental conditions, conducting research projects related to waste recycling and environmental
sustainability, as well as promoting environmental awareness in urban areas” [13] are objectives that
can be achieved through social responsibility.
To meet these challenges, it is necessary to adopt new concepts such as sustainable development,
the circular economy and sustainable and circular bio-economy. They require a change in production
and consumption patterns.
It is necessary to apply new technologies that „meet two conditions: natural resources should be
used at rates that ensure long-term supply so that they do not run out unacceptably "and," waste should
be generated at lower rates than can be easily assimilated by the natural environment [17].
The circular economy policy package focuses on the closure of material loops through recycling
and reuse of products. This reduces the quantities of raw materials used and therefore the pressure on
the environment by extracting and processing ores to obtain them.
The transition from a linear to a circular economy model required for materials is based on the
recovery of products and materials at the end of the product life cycle by connecting waste to
resources. This will give the European economy a competitive advantage and reduce dependence on
imports of raw materials from outside the European area [5].
The basic principles of the circular economy are complementary to the bio-economy.
In addition, the bioeconomy launches a strong perspective on renewed competitiveness, developing
through innovation low-carbon and resource-efficient goods and services [15].
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.6:44-51
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The bio-economy aims to improve the exploitation of biomaterials in a sustainable way and pays
little attention to the aspects of green design, waste management and recycling and the role of
innovative business models in this regard [12].
These new economic models pay special attention to the recovery of biowaste. Biodiesel is a
biodegradable waste from gardens and parks, food and kitchen waste from households, offices,
restaurants, wholesale warehouses, canteens, catering companies or retail stores and comparable waste
from product processing plants, food [1].
In 2015, the European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Package with the aim of
conserving resources and sustaining a sustainable economy by boosting waste recycling and recovery.
Minimizing waste generation and keeping products as economical as possible are two goals set for the
development of a „sustainable, low-carbon, resource-efficient and competitive economy” [4]. The
composition of household waste generated at European level is presented in figure 1. It is observed
that biowaste represents 31% of the total.
Figure1 Composition of household waste in Europe [14].
According to the waste hierarchy, established at the level of the European Commission, one
concluded that the management must be done in the following order: prevention of waste generation,
preparation for reuse, recycling, recovery; preparation for reuse, recycling; recovery, for example
energy recovery; elimination [2].
In 2017, the document „The role of energy recovery in waste in the circular economy” was drafted COM (2017) 34 final, by which the European Commission recommends Member States to
recover energy only if it cannot be recycled or reused [7]. The waste disposal technologies
recommended by the Commission are: its co-incineration in cement plants or large combustion plants
as well as incineration in incinerators for waste incineration or indirect incineration following
pyrolysis or gasification. Also, the anaerobic digestion technology of biodegradable waste or the
productions of waste fuels are increasingly used for waste disposal. [7].
In order to analyze the technologies for capitalizing on biowaste, a comparative study was
conducted on the different treatment methods for municipal organic waste [3]. The study occurred in
seven cities with different population numbers (Zagreb, Skopje, Malaga, Paris, Ivanic, Krk and
Madrid). Tools and methodologies for the separate collection of food waste have been developed and
information has been provided on technical, economic and environmental aspects of anaerobic
digestion of biowaste and biofuel production.
Also, the existing obstacles regarding the possibility of using biowaste for biomethane production
were identified, these being related to the poor public perception and lack of knowledge regarding the
separate collection of biowaste and the potential for energy generation from biogas.
Awareness campaigns were carried out in which the economic, social and environmental benefits
generated by the separate collection of waste, its anaerobic digestion and the production of biofuel
were presented.
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The research also developed a reference tool to compare the value chain of diversion of biowaste to
biomethane with other value chains of waste treatment, such as landfills, composting and incineration.
Thus, the positive benefits of anaerobic digestion of biowaste have been highlighted, proving to be a
standard technology for treating organic waste collected separately. [3] The comparative analysis
carried out took into account aspects such as reducing the total waste generated, increasing the safe
energy supply, recycling nutrients, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The study showed that
anaerobic digestion is the technology of recovery of biowaste considered the best and environmentally
friendly [3]. Other research proved that anaerobic digestion of separately collected bio-waste is a
recycling technology. In the situation when a separate collection of bio-waste, is achieved, and further
it is turned by anaerobic digestion to biogas and digestate, a successful industrial circle is closed. The
result consists both of a bio-fuel (renewable energy sourse neutral in C emission) and a natural
fertilizer that meets the quality standards to be used successfully in agriculture [7]. Anaerobic
digestion is also considered a biotechnology through which they can simultaneously generate
bioenergy (such as methane biogas), but simultaneously reduce environmental the pollution and
contribute to generate recycled nutrients. [16]
Recovery of biowaste at national level Romania approved Decision no. 3/2016 on the Circular Economy Package: COM (2015) 614 final [6],
which transposes the legislation in the field developed at European level. This normative act
establishes priority actions for the transition of the circular economy. These actions address
production, consumption, innovation and investigation, waste management and the creation of a
market for secondary raw materials. "[6]
Also, Law no. 181 of 19 August 2020 on the management of compostable non-hazardous waste
[10] which obliges local authorities to implement, from 1 January 2021, the implementation of a
separate collection system for biodegradable waste, extends the separate door-to-door collection of
bio-waste in the environment urban.
At the same time, it is recognized that for Romania, the targets for recycling and preparation for
reuse of municipal waste (60% in 2025 and 65% in 2030) and packaging waste (no special target yet),
to reduce municipal waste storage at a maximum of 10% in 2030 will remain a challenge, although for
the latter Romania is included in the group of Member States that will benefit from derogations '' [6].
In order to achieve waste management targets, it is necessary to establish a national structure for
the separate collection of recyclable waste, biowaste and residual waste, the transport, sorting,
recovery, recycling and storage. In the National Waste Management Plan [9], all the costs necessary
for making investments and for operating in the vision of proper waste management, for the period
2018-2025 were estimated. Consolidated financial flows, for 2018 - 2025 are centralized in Table 1
[9].
As it can be seen, the investments required for the construction of separate biowaste collection
infrastructure were estimated at 66.472 million euros and for the construction of composting facilities
3.940 million euros and for the construction of anaerobic biowaste digestion facilities 278.250 million
euros. [9].
The choice of waste recovery technologies, their design, construction and operation will be made
taking into account the existing situation regarding diferent aspects, such as: waste management, real
assessment of waste quantities generated, their generation forecast based on population growth
forecast, estimation of biowaste collection potential and of the targets provided by the legislation. This
information is part of the County Waste Management Plans which is a strategic tool for assessing and
planning waste management for a set time horizon. Currently, in Romania, there are regulations,
guidelines and procedures for the assessment and planning of waste management, but there are no
guidelines and procedures for estimating the potential for separate collection of biowaste and the
recovery for biogas.
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Table 1. Consolidated financial flows, 2018 – 2025, [9]
Financial flows (million euros)
Indicator Total 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
A.Investment
A.1. Collection
and transport
Separate recyclable
collection
182,476 - 178.833 3,643 - - - - -
Separate
biodegradable
collection
66,472 - 66,472 - - - - - -
Residual collection 41,659 - 41,659 - - - - - -
Total collection and
transport
290,606 - 286,963 3,643 - - - - -
A.2. Fixed
investment
Transfer - - - - - - - - -
Composting 3,940 1,182 2,758 - - - - - -
Sorting - separately
recycled waste
4,930 1,479 3,451 - - - - - -
TMB with
biostabilization
- - - - - - - - -
Anaerobic digestion 278,250 83,475 194,775 - - - - - -
TMB with bio drying 226,636 - - 24,484 135,982 66,171 - - -
incineration with
energy recovery
136,324 - - 13,632 81,794 40,897 - - -
other investment
costs
112,503 43,280 23,633 11,782 15,221 11,290 7,297 - -
Total fixed
investment
762,583 129,415 224,617 49,898 232,997 118,358 7,297 - -
A.3 Deposit
Extension deposits 80,740 49,213 - 1,538 1,922 - 10,765 11,15 6,152
Closing non-
compliant deposits
15,600 13,200 2,400 - - - - - -
Total deposit 96,340 62,413 2,400 1,538 1,922 - 10,765 11,15 6,152
Separate collection of biowaste in Romania. In Romania no qualified separate collection system for diferent biowaste categories nor the
infrastructure necessary for their recovery, although the obligation to make them is provided in the
legislation, are turned into reality, even a start happened
In order to estimate the potential for separate collection of biowaste suitable for treatment by
anaerobic digestion and the potential for individual composting, in Ilfov County, a study was
conducted in 2020 using a statistical analysis of research and data processing.
In the following the results of the study used, and the appropriate dimensioning of the infrastructure
for the separate collection of biowaste and for the design and operation in view of the of the recovery
facilities by anaerobic digestion are revealed. The stratified probabilistic selection of the authorized
legal entities was made by using the mechanical measurement step for 100 units, the data collection
duration was 2 weeks, the data collection procedure was the face-to-face interview.
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The study estimated the quantities of food waste generated in the retail and other forms of
distribution, the quantities of food waste generated by restaurants and food services and the quantities
of biowaste generated by households, the potential for a separate collection and the potential.
individual composting [18]. There was also the potential for their separate collection. The study was
carried out only for 3 of the 5 activities provided in the food supply chain, According to EC Decision
2019/1597 supplementing Directive 2008/98 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council [11].
The waste generated from the primary production and from the food processing and production
activity was not estimated. For the estimation of the quantities of food waste generated in the retail and
other forms of distribution stage and for those generated from restaurants and food services and the
separate collection potential used, minimum samples were established and the estimation of the
quantity of food waste was performed. through the method of questionnaires and interviews.
In order to establish the minimum samples, the units authorized at the level of Ilfov County were taken
into account, the main data source being the existing one at the Veterinary Health and Food Safety
Directorate of Ilfov.
The questionnaires include questions regarding the biowaste generated (regarding the categories of
food waste generated, the collection method used, the economic operator taking over, the estimated
quantities), the availability of the generator to collect the bio-waste separately, the availability to hand
over the separately collected bio-waste to the to the local public authority within which the unit is
located [18].
After applying the questionnaire to the units in the established sample, the data were processed
and extrapolated to the entire category, for each category in order to obtain an estimate for the entire
county. [18]
To estimate the quantities of biowaste generated by households, the potential for separate
collection and the potential for individual composting, the rural and urban localities were selected that
meet the conditions for separate collection of biowaste, a minimum sample was established depending
on the number of households and the quantities of biowaste were estimated by the method of
questionnaires and interviews. [18]
The questionnaire was briefed on: the number of members per household, the quantities of
biowaste estimated to be generated in the household, whether the generated biowaste is used as animal
feed and in what proportion, the willingness to collect biowaste separately in the future.
After applying the questionnaire to the households in the established sample, the data were processed
and extrapolated to all households in the respective area of residence. [18]
The results obtained are centralized in table 2.
Regarding the availability regarding the separate collection of food biowaste for anaerobic
treatment, in the case of supermarkets it is over 97% and 88.6% in the case of stores. Thus, the
potential for separate collection from the category of retail units and other forms of distribution is
close to the values generated, the total quantity that is estimated to be collected separately being
approximately 2,776.4 tons / year.
Table 2 Quantities of biowaste generated by retail outlets and other forms of distribution [18]
Sources of biowaste
generation
Total units Quantities of biowaste
generated
Potentially collected
quantities separately
Mixed store 2024 2001,3 1772,6
Supermarket 115 1031,7 1003,8
Total units 2139 3033,0 2776,4
The quantities of food waste generated by restaurants and food services and the potential for separate
collection are centralized in Table 3. The potential for separate collection of food bio-waste for
treatment by anaerobic digestion is 98,4%
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Table 3. Quantities of biowaste generated by restaurants and other food services [18]
Sources of biowaste generation Total units Quantities of
biowaste generated
Potentially collected
quantities
separately
Restaurant 328 1.066,7 1.049,6
Fast Food 520 1.691,0 1664
Catering 126 409,8 403,2
Pizzerie 70 227,6 224,0
Canteens 276 897,6 883,2
Total units 1320 4.292,6 4.224,0
Change in activity volume 2020/2019 6.694,7 6.587,6
Estimation of quantities of biowaste generated by households, separate collection potential and
individual composting potential
To estimate the quantities of biowaste generated by households, the potential for separate
collection and the potential for individual composting, a number of 484 questionnaires were applied,
of which 53.3% in urban areas and 46.7% in rural areas [18]. The estimated food waste quantities in
Ilfov County, generated annually, are centralized in Table 4 [18].
Table 4 Quantities of biowaste, households [18]
Sources of biowaste
generation
Total number of
households
Quantities of
biowaste generated
Potentially collected
quantities separately
Urban 79.353 24.224,8 18.778,9
Rural 95.606 26.249,6 13.705,5
Total 174.959 50.474,4 32.484,5
The obtained results are then extrapolated to all sales units, restaurants and other food services
authorized by Ilfov County.
Also, the centralized results in table 3 will be used to determine the quantities of biowaste for
which the centralized waste collection is desired for all localities of the project area.
Conclusions The paper aimed to make an x-ray of the potential of biowaste for the production of biofuels and
fertilizers, based on state of art information and data specific to Romania. Also it focusses on the
existing legislative framework on biowaste management, as well as their recovery technologies, and
finally to describe a case study regarding the evaluation of the potential for selective collection of
biowaste, in view of the valorizasion through anaerobic digestion.
The conclusions that emerge are:
Separate collection of biological waste and its recovery by anaerobic digestion and transformation
of biogas into biofuel is considered the most environmentally friendly technology in a circular and
sustainable bioeconomy.
Recycling of biological waste can only be done if it is collected separately to recover it by
anaerobic digestion and obtaining biogas and fertilizer.
It is recommended to carry out separate collection of bio-waste for all 5 activities provided in the
food supply chain, respectively organic waste from primary production and food processing and
production, retail and other forms of distribution, restaurants and food services and households;
Currently, there are no measurement data on the quantities of biowaste generated at the
source.
Estimation of the quantities of biowaste generated can be done by statistical methods.
In order to collect data on the quantities of biowaste generated and on the availability of separate
collection and their delivery for anaerobic digestion, questionnaires and interviews can be conducted.
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By centralizing and processing the data, the estimation of the quantities of biowaste generated and of
the potential for their separate collection for the established samples is obtained.
At the county level, the quantities of biowaste generated from the activities of retail and other
distribution of food, restaurants and food services and from households can be estimated by
extrapolating the data obtained for samples to all authorized economic agents and to all the population
of the respective county.
Based on the obtained data, the system for the separate collection of biowaste and the intrastructure
of transport and capitalization by anaerobic digestion are designed. If the necessary investments are
made to transform the biogas obtained into biofuel, it can be marketed or used for fueling biodiesel
transport vehicles, which would significantly reduce the total costs of biowaste management.
Acknowledgement:
The authors would like to thank the partners and stakeholders of the DECIDE project - ,, Development
through entrepreneurial education and innovative doctoral and postdoctoral research” for their effort
and contribution. The project is co-financed from the European Social Fund through the Human
Capital Operational Program 2014-2020. We also thank the Ilfov County Council for access to data on
the separate collection of biowaste.
References
[1] Directive 2008/98 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste and repealing
certain Directives, Official Journal of the European Union, https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/RO/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=RO
[2] Law no. 31/2019 on the approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 74/2018 for the
amendment and completion of Law no. 211/2011 on the waste regime, of Law no.
249/2015 on the management of packaging and packaging waste and Government
Emergency Ordinance no. 196/2005 on the Environmental Fund, https://www.lege-
online.ro/lr-LEGE-31%20-2019-(209958)-(1).html
[3] Bin2Grid, file:///C:/Users/Hp/Desktop/Attachment_0%20(1).pdf
[4] COM (2015) 614 final - Closing the loop - an EU action plan for the circular economy,
https://eurlex.europa.eu/legalcontent/RO/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52015DC0614&from
=RO.
[5] Isabel Garcia Herrero, Maria Margallo, Raquel Onandia, Ruben Aldaco, Angel Irabien,
Conecting wastes to resources for clen technologies in the chlor-alkali industry: a life
cycle approach, Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, Volume 2, march 2018.
[6] Decision No 3 of 2 February 2016 on the Circular Economy Package: COM (2015) 614 final -
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions „Closing
the loop - an EU action plan for the circular economy”, COM (2015)593 final,
http://www.cdep.ro/pls/legis/legis_pck.htp_act?ida=135136.
[7] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - The role of energy
recovery in the circular economy COM (2017) 34 final, Brussels, 26.1.2017 COM (2017)
34 final, https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2017/RO/COM-2017-34-F1-
RO-MAIN-PART-1.PDF
[8] Green Paper on the management of bio-waste in the European Union, 2008, https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/RO/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52008DC0811&from=RO
[9] DECISION no. 942 of December 20, 2017 regarding the approval of the National Waste
Management Plan, http://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/196382
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[10] Law no. 181 of 19 August 2020 on the management of compostable non-hazardous waste,
OFFICIAL GAZETTE no. 762 of August 20, 2020
[11] Commission Decision (EU) 2019/1597 of 3 May 2019 supplementing Directive 2008/98 / EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a common methodology and
minimum quality requirements for the uniform measurement of food waste levels,
Official Journal of the European Union L 248/77, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/RO/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019D1597&from=EN
[12] The circular economy and the bioeconomy Partners in sustainability, EEA Report No 8/2018,
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/circular-economy-and-bioeconomy
[13] Evaluating Circular Economy under a Multi-Parametric Approach: A Technological Review
Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos, Vasilis C. Kapsalis, Konstantinos G. Aravossis, Miltiadis
Zamparas and Alexandros Mitsikas, 2019, https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i21p6139-d283252.html
[14] Guidance for separate collection of municipal waste, Maarten Dubois, Edward Sims, Tim
Moerman, David Watson, Bjorn Bauer, Jean-Benoît Bel, Georg Mehlhart, aprilie, 2020, https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/15.1.%20EC_DGENV_Separate%20
Collection_guidance_DEF.pdf
[15] A roadmap towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy through waste valorization, Maina,
S., Kachrimanidou, V. And Koutinas, A. (2017), Current Opinion in Green and
Sustainable Chemistry, 8. pp. 1823. ISSN 24522236 doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2017.07.007 Available at
http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/73361/.
[16] Biomass for biofuele, Strategies for Global Industries, Alain A. Vertes, Nasib Qureshi, Hans P.
Blaschek, Hideaki Yukawa, ISBN 978-0-470-51312-5.
[17] Biocatalysis and biomass conversion: enabling a circular economy, Roger A. Sheldon,
royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsta, 2019, https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0274.
[18] Study on estimating the potential for separate collection of biowaste suitable for treatment by
anaerobic digestion and the potential for individual composting in Ilfov County,
developer Sc Addvances Corp SRL, beneficiary Ilfov County - County Council, 2020.
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The influence of COVID-19 on air quality in Brasov
Larisa Blaga1 and Dan Savescu2
1 Product Design, Mechatronics and Environment Department, Transilvania University of
Braşov, Romania 2 Product Design, Mechatronics and Environment Department, Transilvania University of
Braşov, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. Population health and air quality represents the objective of nowadays. Environmental
pollution represents its deterioration and involves altering the chemical and structural
characteristics of the natural and anthropogenic components of the environment, diminishing the
diversity or biological productivity of natural ecosystems, affecting the natural environment with
effects on quality of life, mainly caused by pollution. Environmental monitoring becomes a
systematic and methodical concern, achieved through various measurement systems, in order to
ensure the efficient management of all social activities. The Covid-19 pandemic has left its mark
on air quality, reducing the amount of harmful compounds. Consequences of "lockdown" caused
by the COVID-19 have been studied in the city Brasov, from Romania country, where the amount
of suspended particles of 10 microns, respectively 25 microns.
Keywords: environment, coronavirus, urbanization, transport, pollution
Introduction
The environment and the population protection are major objectives of humanity, and pollutants and their degradation represent a topical issue and of particular importance. An important aspect to solving these objectives is the monitoring of pollutants. According to a new report from the European Environment Agency, air pollution contributes to one from eight deaths in Europe.
Road traffic is one of the major factors in the degradation of the environment and quality of life, especially in large urban areas; The main toxic compounds resulting from the activities of the urban environment and their influence on human health are: Benzene, sulphur or nitrogen oxides and suspended particulate matter.
Air quality pollution with suspended particles
Particles in the atmosphere can be sedimentary or suspended, sedimentary particles have different
sizes and densities and are deposited according to the law of gravity, unlike those in suspension that
remain in the air for a long time. The particles can be in the atmosphere and in the form of assemblies,
either liquid or solid, which are suspended in the air, in this form are called aerosols. The smoke contains
visible aerosols, made up of very fine particles of solids resulting from the burning of fuels or various
technological processes. Atmospheric suspensions can be in the category of coarse fractions, PM10 with an aerodynamic
diameter less than or equal to 10μm or in the category of fine fractions, PM2.5 with an aerodynamic
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diameter less than or equal to 2.5μm, but there are also submicron fractions, PM1 with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 1μm, the schematic representation is found in figure 1.
Figure 1. Illustrative representation of PM10 and PM2.5
European policies on air quality applied in Romania Romania is situated in the south-east part of central Europe, and is crossed by the Carpathian Arch. In June 1995, Romania applied for membership of the European Union.
One of the ways through which the EU has succeeded in pollution situation is to set mandatory and non-mandatory limits valid throughout the Union for certain airborne pollutants.
In Romania LAW no. 104 of 15 June 2011 stipulates that the limit values for suspended particles for PM10 is 50 g / m3 - the daily limit value for the protection of human health, respectively for PM 2.5 is 25 g / m3.
Table 1 shows the limit values for suspended particles imposed by the European Union (EU) and also the values from The World Health Organization (WHO) - Air Quality Guidelines (AQG).
Table 1. Limit values for suspended particles
Pollutant Averaging period Standard type and concentrations
PM10 1 day EU limit value: 50 µg/m3
WHO AQG: 50 µg/m3
Calendar year Limit value: 40 µg/m3
WHO AQG: 20 µg/m3
PM2.5 1 day WHO AQG: 25 µg/m3
Calendar Year EU limit value: 25 µg/m3
EU exposure concentration obligation: 20 µg/m3
EU national exposure reduction target: 0-20%
reduction in exposure
WHO AQG: 10 µg/m3
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The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and this disease were not known before the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, its symptoms and transmission are illustrated in figure 2.
Over a year since the first death due to COVID-19 was recorded on Jan. 11, 2020, in Wuhan, China, global deaths are set to reach 2 million. It has taken the world less than four months to go from 1 million deaths on September 2020, to 2 million on January 2021.
Figure 2. COVID-19 Symptoms and transmission.
In 2020, satellite data and the data’s from city monitoring stations were widely used to monitor air quality fluctuations, following strict measures induced by the COVID-19 pandemic period.
The data show that the strongest decreases in pollution, of 20-30%, were recorded in the first quarantine period, especially in Spain, Italy and France.
In Romania, the percentage of pollution with material particles was between 5 and 10%. In July
and August 2020, data’s suggest that these concentrations remained 10% to 20% lower than pre-
COVID levels. For example, Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite data are showing strong reductions in nitrogen
dioxide concentrations over several major cities across Europe (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Coronavirus lockdown leading to drop in pollution across Europe [Image: European Space
Agency].
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The coloured dots which are represented in the bottom figure show that for the large majority of
PM10 stations the generalized additive model (GAM) presents a decrease in concentrations during the
lockdown period. The largest reductions were estimated at traffic stations in Spain with an average
reduction of almost 40 % and also in Italy the average reduction was of almost 35 %, followed by
France and Norway with an approximately 25 % reduction in PM10 concentrations at traffic stations.
The lowest relative reductions were estimated at rural background stations, like the northeast part of
Europe (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Relative changes (%) in PM10 concentration attributed to lockdown restrictions during
April 2020 [1]
The dots represent measurements stations, where the changes have been estimated using UTD
monitoring data and the GAM. The background shading represents the changes estimated using
CAMS chemical transport modelling with an emission inventory estimated for the lockdown
conditions. Air quality in Romania is constantly monitored at measuring stations, distributed across the entire
territory of the country, which are part of the automatic air quality monitoring network. In accordance with the World Health Organization's guidelines, the air quality in Romania is
considered moderately unsafe. The most recent data indicates the country's annual mean concentration
of PM10 is 30µg/m3 which exceeds the recommended maximum of 20µg/m3. Contributors to poor air quality in Romania include power generation, the mining industry,
petroleum refining, food processing, and vehicle emissions.
The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the air quality in Brasov The most polluted Romanian city is Iasi, the top three is completed by Cluj-Napoca and the
mountain city Brasov, which is Romania’s 7th largest city, with a population of around 250,000 inhabitants, and the biggest one in the Development Region Centre.
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The air quality in the Brasov agglomeration is monitored by continuous measurements in 6 automatic stations located, according to the criteria indicated by the legislation, in representative areas for each type of station.
Law 104/2011 on ambient air quality established the agglomeration of Brasov within the
administrative limits of the municipality of Brasov, the agglomeration representing an area with a
population exceeding 250,000 inhabitants, thus justifying the need to evaluate and manage ambient
air. With the help of the data’s from the air quality reports from Brasov, the average monthly quantity
of PM10 measured in 2018 was represented in figure 5 also with the quantity from 2020, at the same time, the state of emergency was marked in this representation, where the majority of the population
unfolded activity from home. In the state of emergency, only justified situations were accepted, such
as the provision of goods or medical necessities. The state of alert was also marked, but in this period
the restrictions were much more permissive.
Figure 5. Average monthly value of PM10 from 2018 and 2020 and COVID-19 influence
The average monthly amount of PM2.5 measured in 2018 and the amount in 2020, marking the
same periods, respectively emergency and alert it is showed in figure 6. The higher values in the frosty months are due to the degree of dispersion of the pollutant,
because the wind speed is not high, as in the hot months.
Figure 6. Average monthly value of PM2.5 from 2018 and 2020 and COVID-19 influence
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The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic period for air quality is demonstrated in figure number 5
and number 6, for example in April (lockdown) was the month that recorded a considerable decrease
in the average monthly values of material particles generated. But in both figures there is a reduction
throughout the year 2020. As road traffic has decreased considerably, the urbanization phenomenon
stagnating during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Conclusions The present paper aimed to present the positive effects that the "lockdown" period brought on air
quality in Brasov. With the help of the obtained results it can be said that the amount of polluting
results was much lower in year 2020, despite the fact that the pollution increased from year to year. So
the population breathed a much cleaner air than in previous years.
It is very important to pay attention to air quality because the effects of pollution with PM10 and
PM 2.5 are very dangerous for human health, for example, long-term (months to years) exposure to
PM2.5 has been linked to premature death, particularly in people who have chronic heart or lung
diseases, and reduced lung function growth in children. The effects of long-term exposure to PM10 are
less clear, although several studies suggest a link between long-term PM10 exposure and respiratory
mortality. Also particles can be carried over long distances by wind and then settle on ground or water. Depending on their chemical composition, the effects of this settling may include changings by the
nutrient balance in coastal waters and large river basins or are depleting the nutrients in soil, also are
damaging sensitive forests and farm crops, in short it affects the diversity of ecosystems.
For a sustainable development of the world, we must be aware that we are largely responsible for air quality, the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic showing the positive effects of air quality.
References
[1] Air quality in Europe — 2020 report ISSN 1977-8449 [2] * * * A.P.M. Brasov (2018) Report on the state of the environment in the county of
Brasov for the year 2018 [3] * * * A.P.M. Brasov (2020) Report on the state of the environment in the county of
Brasov for the year 2020
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The circular economy in the agro-zootechnical industry
Ancuta Ioana Hălmaciu1, Ioana Ionel1 and Mihail Reinhold Wächter1
1Politehnica University of Timisoara, Faculty for Mechnical Engineering, Bv. M. Viteazu, Nr.
1, 300222, Timisoara, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The excessive acquisition and the careless usage of the food and non-food products
in the recent years have led to the result of a huge amount of waste, which in time has become
a real problem at a global level.
In order to solve this issue rapidly and efficiently, the researchers have been forced to find
prompt, vast, efficient and inexpensive solutions.
The aim of this paper is to emphasise the importance and the benefits of the circular economy
as a possibility to be applied in the agro-zootechnical sector. Opposing the linear economy and
the recycling economy, the circular economy has the main objective of reducing the waste to
minimum, expecting even a `zero waste`.
Keywords: circular economy, biogas, agro-zootechnology
Introduction There is no secret for anyone the fact that one lives in an era when the increasing development of the
industry and the demographic increase of the population are two important factors which have
indirectly produced negative effects upon the climate as a result of the pollution caused by the
inappropriate managing of the waste. The planet has suffered dramatical changes, and in order to stop
these in the future, the specialists in the waste managing have to find innovator solutions to change
them into raw materials that are necessary for certain economy branches. Recently, at a global level,
the population has been educated due to the principle` buy-use-waste`, a totally wrong principle as it
has caused a huge amount of waste whose impact on the Planet will be devastating unless quick
measures of reeducating the people are taken with a view of reusing it. The researchers sustain that it
is necessary to implement a new strategy which has to be based on an innovative concept whose
essence is the principle of `reuse-repair-recycle`, this concept is labeled in the circular economy. This
concept appeared in the 1970s, being spread in the field of economy and the management of the
business processes. The main principle of this is based on the continual reuse of waste in different
forms, having as aim its significant reduction and also the reduction of the negative impact on the
environment.
The waste that is resulted from the agro-zootechnical field could represent a real of income,
provided they are properly managed. If not, they can have negative effects on the ecosystems,
becoming a danger for man and nature, by producing a vast amount of methane emissions and by
attracting a significant amount of insects and rodents [1]. The most efficient solution to value this
waste is to produce biogas. The new branch that is continually developing [2], this method of
obtaining electrical and thermal energy has started to attract more and more followers among the
agricultural waste [3].
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To put this in a simplified way, one can state that the circular economy is an economy which
produces zero waste [4].
Analysing the real condition of managing the waste we can state that currently the linear economy
mostly prevails the market, respectively the recycling economy. The circular economy is little known
and used, although it has an efficient method of reducing the waste and the production costs for certain
products.
The new approach that this concept brings about consists in the fact that since the moment of
manufacturing [5], the products are designed so as to be easily reused to obtain other products.
Practically, the circular economy relies on `circuits closing` [6], the extension of the life expectancy of
the products, using as main activities: the fixing and the remaking of the products, as well as the
avoiding of the resource wasting while the economical increasing is sustained.
The graphic chart representative for the three types of economy is illustrated in figure 1.
Figure 1. From linear economy to circular economy [7].
1.1. The advantages of a circular economy
Figure 2. The benefits of a circular economy.
Circular economy
The reduction of
pollution The competitive
increasing
The reduction of the
waste amounts
Creating new
workplaces
The circular
management of all the
resources
The environment
protection
Stimulating the
innovation
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Despite being at the beginning, the circular economy presents a significant number of both economical
and ecological advantages. Thus one can state that the circular economy is `a catalyser for mutual
benefit` [8]. Figure 2 indicates the main benefits of the circular economy.
1.1. The principles of the circular economy in the agro-feeding department
In the agro-feeding department the circular economy is based on three important pillars:
Pillar 1: relies on vegetal biomass which constitutes the vital element in forming carbon cycle. The
forming process consists of the diversity of the crops and of the use of the bio fertilisers.
At the same time this process, which relies on the circular economy uses a variety of waste as raw
material which can be: animal, vegetable, organic or green.
Pillar 2: relies on the use of waste that are resulted from reuse of secondary products in the agro-
feeding system. By processing this waste, one could obtain and value both renewable energy and
organic fertilisers.
Pillar 3: has as main objective the use at maximum the resources obtained from zootechnical farms.
As the animal waste changed into compost consists of a high quality fertiliser which thrown on the
agricultural grounds will constitute an important nutritious source for the plants. On their turn, the
plants will grow vigorously and rich in essential nutrients for the breeding and growing of the animals
[9].
1.2. The agro-zootechnical industry, one of the most important and greatest suppliers of organic waste
Being an important branch in economy, the agro-zootechnical industry significantly contributes to the
economical increase of every country that put a big emphasis on this industry. Thus the countries
where the agro-zootechology is developed and sustained, become the greatest suppliers and exporters
of food products. While in other fields the resources are exhaustible, in the agricultural field these are
in continual changing, as well as renewing [10].
The intensive development of the agro-industrial sector has led to the increasing of the pollution
degree worldwide [11].
Because the waste obtained from the agro-zootechnical industry are mostly solid waste and can be
found in significant amounts, it needs to be managed and stored carefully otherwise it can become an
important source of pollution for air, water and soil. As a consequence it becomes a potential danger
for the human and animal health [12].
The main industries which produce biodegradable waste in the agro-feeding system are: in the
industry of products and drinks, the animal breeding and the fito-technical waste industry [13].
1.3. The biogas as part of the circular economy
The biogas is a biological product that is obtained by anaerobic fermentation using organic materials
produced from municipal waste, drainage, biomass, farming waste, waste from the agricultural crops
and plants [14], the mud from the water purification stations and the agro-industrial waste. The
process of anaerobic fermentation is usually applied for the control of the air and water pollution [15].
The first four important stages that provide the production of gas are: hydrolize, acidogenesis,
acetogenesis and methanogenesis [16].
The biogas is mostly made up of methane in an amount of 60 %, carbon dioxid 40 % [17], but in
fewer amount there can be found the anitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and the oxygen.
The main use of the biogas consists in the producing of the electrical and thermical energy that is
used at the given place or charged in the national network [18].
A continual increasing use of the biogas is the bio-methane. This is obtained with the help of the
absorbtion technique at an oscillate pressure, the cleaning under pressure. The physical absorbtion
with organic matter, and the cryogenic separation of the bio-methane could be used as a fuel for the
gas vehicles. Also it is found that the bio-methane is very useful in the in the chemical industry, but
also for the domestic and trading uses, as it proofs to have the same benefits as the natural gases [19,
18], in addition to the real advantage that it represents a neutral C emission fuel.
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The digestate obtained as a result of the process of anaerobic digest is considered a bio fertilizer
rich in ammonium and phosphate nutrient. The obtaining of the compost is quite easy and is very
advantageous on the three levels: local, regional and extra-regional [20].
Unlike the stable mud, the compost does not contain germ seeds of weeds and pathogen
microorganisms because they die even since the first stage of production when the temperature in the
compost platform rises to 70° C [21]. A brief overview of the opportunities that the circular economy brings up within the supplying
chain is presented in figure 3.
Figure 3. A conceptual diagram of bioenergy economic cycle [22].
1.4. Conclusions
The paper focuses on the novel idea of the circular economy, presenting in short the benefits and
possibilities to be applied in the agricultural sector.
The new concept of the circular economy can be considered an important step that the researchers
have taken in the `war` concerning the reduction of the waste and the pollution of the environment.
The main idea that lies at the basis of this concept is the reuse of the waste in a variety of ways. The
circular economy, unlike the linear economy and the recycling economy, has numerous advantages
such as: creating new workplaces, the increasing of the competition, the reduction of pollution, the
reduction of the waste amount. Another major advantage of this concept is that it can be implemented
in all the active systems and this thing can be regarded as an opportunity for business people. The
development of the agro-zootechnical sector has led to the creation of a big amount of waste and so
there should be imposed the implementation of the circular economy through the biogas production.
The waste resulted from this sector, when it is improperly stored, turns into a real problem both for
the generator and for the environment. The construction of the biogas installation can transform this
waste into real inexhaustible `deposits`. The reduction of the waste costs, the production of the
electrical and thermal energy, the obtaining of the bio-methane and the production of the compost are
but a few advantages that a biogas installation can bring about.
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The authors consider that all the benefits mentioned above should determine those who act in the
agro-zootechnical sector and mainly on legislative level to take into account the designing of a biogas
installation.
Acknowlwdgement
The paper is written in the frame of the doctoral program of the first author. Thanks are addressed to
the Doctoral School of the Politehnica University of Timisoara, as well to the guidance staff .
References
[1] Schoenmakere De M, Hoogeveen , Gillabel J and Manshoven S 2018 The circular economy and
the bioeconomy, Parteners in sustainability, ISSN 1977-8449, EEA Report, No.8
[2] Postawa K, Szczygieł J, Jędrusiak- Wrzesińska E, Klimek K and Kułażyński M 2021 The
pump-mixed anaerobic digestion of pig slurry: new technology and mathematical
modeling, 15 March, pp 111-119
[3] Varbanov S P and Walmsley G T 2019 Circular economy and engineering concepts for
technology and policy development, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer
Nature 2019, 8 March, 21 pp 479-480
[4] ***https://www.ecotic.ro/welcome-change/economie-circulara/episodul1/, accessed:
07.02.2021
[5] ***https://www.solutiidemediu.ro/primii-pasi-catre-economia-circulara-in-romania/, accessed:
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prognoza-pentru-2030/, accessed: 17.02.2021
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[10] ***http://www.managusamv.ro/english/images/pdf/ECONOMIERURALA.pdf, accessed:
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[11] Muscio A and Sisto R 2020 Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy
Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy, Journal
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[12] Escobar-Orejuela M L, Landázuri C A and Goodell B 2020 Second Generation Biorefining in
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[13] Șalaru G, Bahnaru A, Jolondcovschi A, Osipov R and Golic A 2013 Biodegradable waste
management (Material and energy recovery), MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT,
ASSOCIATION FOR WASTE RECOVERY, OFFICE ON COMBATING CLIMATE
CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE, Chișinău
[14] Dahiya S, Katakojwala R, Ramakrishna S and Mohan Venkata S 2020 Biobased Products and
Life Cycle Assessment in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer
Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020, 7 September, 2
[15] Fakkaew K and Polprasert C 2021 Air stripping pre-treatment process to enhance biogas
production in anaerobic digestion of chicken manure wastewater, June,
[16] Haque E Md, Ryndin R, Mang P-H, Kabir H, Rahman M M, Khasruzzaman M K A,Uddin A M
and Islam A Md 2021 Evalution of biogas production from manure of hybrid and local
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breed cows fed with different types of feeding practices, ISSN: 2315-9766, Net Journal
of Agricultural Science, Vol. 9 (1), January, pp. 1-8
[17] Oreggioni D G, Luberti M, Reilly M, Kirby E M, Toop T, Theodoru M and Tassou A S 2017
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[18] Blades L, Morgan K, Douglas R, Glover S, Rosa De M, Cromice T and Smyth B 2017 Circular
Biogas-Based in a Rural Agricultural Setting, pp 89-96
[19] Colmorgen F, Khawaja C, Rutz D M Anual on bioeconomies and local bioeconomies,, ISBN
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[21] Toncea I, Enuță S, Nițu I G, Alexandrescu D and Toncea A V Organic farming manual
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bioeconomy in sustainable development: Strategic pathways for Malaysia, pp 1966-1987
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The new European Union Strategic Framework for Roma
Integration 2020-2030: Insights and recommendations for the
national strategic frameworks
Andrei Ghimisi1
1National University of Political Studies and Public Administration,
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The paper “The new European Union Strategic Framework for Roma Integration 2020-2030: Insights and recommendations for the national strategic frameworks” seeks to present some of the most important elements that target specifically the Roma community in the
new EU strategic framework. Moreover, after some crucial aspects of the strategy are presented,
some key recommendations are presented for the upcoming national strategic frameworks..
Keywords: integration, roma, discrimination
1.Introduction The European Commission published a Communication1 to the Council and the European Parliament
regarding the new Strategic Framework for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation for 2020-2030.
This framework is therefore replacing the previous EU framework for national Roma integration
strategies 2011-2020. The new framework is a positive sign and a great step in the right direction and it
changes the perspective of the previous EU framework to a more balanced approach between human
rights, social inclusion and empowerment objectives.
Through this new European Union framework, Member States and Enlargement countries are asked
to develop national strategic frameworks (NSFs), not just strategies, proposing an intersectional
approach to tackle discrimination and defining intersectional discrimination as such for the first time.
Antigypsism is also included in the new framework by using the spelling proposed by the Alliance
against Antigypsyism. In addition, the framework seeks to address Enlargement countries on an equal
footing and acknowledges the importance of the Western Balkan region for the EU, while the
Neighbourhood countries are mentioned for the first time in relation to Roma inclusion under the current
framework.
The European Council asks States in the guidelines2 to recognise antigypsyism and act against it,
calling them to dismantle and prevent systemic/institutional/structural discrimination experienced by
Roma and prioritises environmental justice. Another important factor that was introduced was the fight
against Roma poverty as a specific objective with associated indicators. Even though the guidelines are
in general very good, they leave it up to governments to pick and choose what to include in their own
frameworks.
Other several relevant initiatives that the EU Roma strategic framework contributed to were namely
to implementing the EU anti-racism action plan, the European Pillar of Social Rights and to the
1 Commission Communication available at : https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/ new-eu-roma-strategic-
framework-equality-inclusion-and-participation-full-package_en 2 Ibid.
DOI: 10.33727/JRISS.2021.1.9:64-68
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achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, there is no
mention that the Social Pillar and SDGs will also contribute to implementing the Roma framework in
mutually reinforcing processes. Another aspect that was neglected was the interplay of the Framework
with the European Semester and the European Green Deal, and how Roma inclusion, equality and
participation will be mainstreamed in these overarching EU policy processes.
2. Horizontal Priorities in the new European Union Roma strategic framework
2.1. Fight against discrimination
One of the most important and urgent needs is that the efforts to tackle discrimination and to promote
equality and inclusion of Roma people, this needs that have been stressed out more by the pandemic
context. According to The Fundamental Rights Agency, 41% of Roma people reported that they had felt
discriminated at the work place or while they were searching for a work place, in education, in
healthcare, when they were in contact with state authorities or when they entered a store3.
2.2. Reducing exclusion and poverty
With over more than 80% of Roma at risk of social exclusion and poverty4, prioritising poverty reduction
as a cross-cutting objective, accompanied by concrete targets and associated indicators is a welcome
improvement from the previous Roma framework. One target that is well received is the one that refers
to reducing the poverty gap and child poverty gap by at least half, but recommend national governments
to go even further the minimum target and adjust the strategy to their own poverty rates
2.3. Promoting participation through cooperation, trust and empowerment The importance on Roma participation in the EU framework and the vital role that Roma and pro-Roma
civil society should play in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating policies that seek to
promote the equality and inclusion of Roma is appreciated in the new EU framework. These measures
should be accompanied with strong participation targets at the member state level, and genuine
participation of Roma civil society in the implementation, development, monitoring and evaluation of
National Roma Strategic Frameworks
3.Sectorial priorities in the new European Union Roma strategic framework: Education, Housing,
Employment and Health
3.1.Education
With regards to education, the framework needs to be more ambitious as education stand at the root of
many inequalities that strove from this early moments. For example, the proposed target of reducing the
gap in upper-secondary school completion by only 1/3 is not sufficient. In addition, allowing the
continuing practice of segregation of Roma children in schools, decreasing by only a half the proportion
of Roma children attending segregated primary schools goes against EU law, as segregation is
considered racial discrimination according to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination.5
3 FRA (2016). Op. cit. note 3. 4 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, October 2020. A Union of
Equality: EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020-2030.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/eu_roma_strategic_framework_for_equality_inclusion_and_p
articipation_for_2020_-_2030_0.pdf 5 ERGO, December 2020. Op. cit. note 12
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3.2.Housing Some of the targets that relate to housing, including cutting the gap in overcrowding between the Roma
and the general population by at least 1/2 (it currently is 78% versus 17.1% for the general population),
ensuring that at least 95% of Roma have access to tap water and reducing by at least 1/3 the gap in
housing depravation 3 are all good targets and a positive step in seeking to address some of the persistent
challenges that Roma face with regards to housing. However, forced evictions and housing segregation
remain major challenges for Roma people. Strong measures addressing forced evictions and housing
segregation should therefore be included in National Roma strategic Frameworks
.
3.3. Employment About this area, there are serious steps that need to be made in order to reduce many of the gaps that
had spread even more in time. With 62 % of Roma youth neither in education, employment nor training,
a gender employment gap of 27 percentage points (pps), compared to 11.7 pps gap in the general
population and only 43% of Roma aged 20-64 in paid work making effective equal access to quality and
sustainable employment as a sectoral priority in the EU Framework is not only well welcomed but also
necessary.
3.4. Health The measures that were developed in regards to the healthcare system and its access for the Roma people
are very well shaped and addresses many of the problems of the community. As many vulnerable groups
among Roma are not covered by health insurance, they frequently face difficulties accessing basic health
care, and often can only access emergency health care services. The target to decrease the gap in life
expectancy between Roma and non-Roma by at least a half - which currently is very high at 10 years, is
a big step forward in properly addressing this issue. In addition, for those vulnerable groups of Roma
people living in isolated rural areas or camps in the outskirts of cities with limited public transport
facilities, accessing health care centres or professionals is often a challenge6
4.Further recommendations for the future national strategic frameworks Even though the new European Union Roma strategic framework addressed many problems and
managed to make vital changes in some crucial areas, there is a short period of time until September
2021 when Member States need to present their national strategic frameworks. Therefore, there are still
some areas in which improvement can be made and also some key recommendations regarding the well-
being of Roma people.
National strategic frameworks need to ensure that national and European Union funds are used
towards inclusive mainstream policy reform, communication and targeted action for Roma inclusion,
equality and participation at local and national levels.
In addition, the national strategic framework of each Member State needs to ensure civil society and
an institutional consolation and coordination mechanism that is built in a transparent way and the
provision of access to information is guaranteed. Also, they need to ensure effective and full
participation of Roma and pro- Roma civil society at all levels and all stages of the national strategic
frameworks implementation, design, monitoring and evaluation.
Another key recommendation is that national strategic frameworks need to ensure an appropriate and
adequate response, at national levels, to the particular risks experienced by Roma communities due to
the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure an appropriate and adequate mainstreaming and inclusion of Roma
communities in the social and economic policies and programmes deployed to address and restore the
impact of pandemic.
Roma women and youth must be at the centre of all policies and processes affecting them, while
gender mainstreaming needs to be effectively implemented and monitored throughout thematic areas.
6 Eurodiaconia, Promoting Roma Inclusion, Policy Paper, February 2018
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Enhance the role and mandate of National Roma Contact Points (NRCPs) under the NSFs.
Additionally, involve NRCPs in the elaboration of mainstream inclusion policies, especially those under
the national recovery plans, green and digital inclusion to ensure congruence and mutual reciprocity
with NSFs.
Address difficulties for Roma in securing adequate personal documentation and use of civil
registration systems and secure an effective response to the difficulties for Roma in moving to another
Member State or enlargement country.
Include Roma, in full alignment with the objectives and targets of the EU Strategic Framework, in
the preparation of National Recovery and Resilience Plans by April 2021, especially in support of job
creation and economic and social resilience, contribute to environmental sustainability and foster digital
transformation.
One sector that needs more attention and that is also put by the European Union at the centre of its
strategy is the fight against poverty, racism, discrimination and segregation. Therefore, there are some
key recommendations in this sector that will help the national strategic frameworks to implement them
easier and faster.
Member States and Enlargement Countries should put in place measures to ensure adequacy of real
needs, as well as better coverage and take-up of social benefits, such as adequate minimum income
schemes, by making them automatic, reducing red tape, eliminating conditionality’s and sanctions, and tackling stigma and discrimination against Roma or other recipients.
The target of poverty cut in half should start from the actual poverty numbers throughout the country.
This means if the country has now 40% poverty of Roma, it should be down to 20%, while ensuring that
there are no pockets of poverty at regional level that still reach 80% in some regions. There should also
be a minimum target of 40% in every region at national level.
Roma poverty should be measured annually through Eurostat, using the combined AROPE indicator
– at risk of poverty, material deprivation and households with low work intensity – to be able to keep
track of the multifaceted aspects of poverty and social exclusion in Roma communities.
One action that needs to be addressed is that Member States and Enlargement countries should fully
implement, by 2030, UN Sustainable Development Goal 1 on No Poverty, as well as the entirety of the
European Pillar of Social Rights and the full set of indicators of the Social Scoreboard, as 80% of the
Roma in Europe are currently experiencing poverty and social exclusion.
Member States and Enlargement Countries should provide anti-discrimination training to public
offices disbursing social protection and penalise discriminatory behaviours in relation to minority
recipients, including the Roma. It is necessary to combat the public discourse that stigmatises benefit
claimants and people experiencing poverty.
National strategic frameworks should include minimum standards or measures on the
implementation of the right to participation to ensure effective and full participation of Roma at all levels
and all stages of the national strategic frameworks implementation, design, monitoring and evaluation,
by suggesting a minimum benchmark of 50% based on self-identification, with a provision on gender
equality. This involves making adequate human and financial resources available to allow for proper
participation processes, and providing public servants with training on, and sufficient time for, engaging
such organisations. Tools and methods used by public authorities for implementing participation could
be diversified and improved.
Another important area in which national strategic frameworks need to thrive is education. Therefore,
Member States and Enlargement countries should go much above the targets set by the European
Commission in the area of preschool, primary and secondary education. States should ensure full
implementation of the SDGs for Roma children, youth, men and women by 2030, ensure equitable
access to quality mainstream education for all Roma children and increase the enrolment and completion
rate of Roma in quality integrated primary education to 90%, and in secondary education to 50%.
By 2030, Member States need to ensure that all Roma girls and boys complete free, equitable and
quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
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By 2030, national strategic frameworks need to ensure that all Roma girls and boys have access to
quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary
education.
An important recommendation in regards to the employment of the Roma people is that national
strategic frameworks need to aim to increase the Roma employment rate equally for men and women in
the public sector to 75%, equivalent to the proportion of Roma in the overall population (the current
target is at 60% for men only). 75% of the Roma population aged 20 to 64 should be in quality and
sustainable work, also by overcoming the gender gap in the labour force.
5.Conclusion In conclusion, the new European Union Strategic Framework for Roma Integration 2020-2030 is a big
step towards resolving a problem that has been stretched out for far too long. The Roma population,
which is the most numerous minority in the European Union, has suffered too much at the hands of
discrimination, inappropriate medical care or lack of a proper education. Through many efforts, the
European Union seeks to address many of these problems with its new strategic framework, designed
especially for the proper integration of Roma people.
Now, after this signal from the European Union, all Member States need to react and comprehend
the moment, seize it and make the full out of every target. They will also need to take care in addressing
some of the problems, as the Roma community is sensible and needs to trust the changes. An important
factor that is well shaped this time is the role of the NGO’s and other important actors who now have a
new strategic framework to study and create a proper method in which the measures will be implemented
on their respective territory
6.References
[1] Commission Communication available at : https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/ new-eu-roma-
strategic-framework-equality-inclusion-and-participation-full-package_en
[2] FRA (2016)
[3]. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, October 2020.
A Union of Equality: EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation
2020-2030.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/eu_roma_strategic_framework_for_equality_inclusio
n_and_p articipation_for_2020_-_2030_0.pdf
[4] ERGO, December 2020
[5] Eurodiaconia, Promoting Roma Inclusion, Policy Paper, February 2018
“This paper was elaborated within the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020, co-financed
by the European Social Fund, under the project POCU/380/6/13/124708 no. 37141/23.05.2019, with
the title “Researcher-Entrepreneur on Labour Market in the Fields of Intelligent Specialization
(CERT-ANTREP)”, coordinated by the National University of Political Studies and Public
Administration.